Texans Safety Andre Hal Active for First Time Since Cancer Diagnosis

Hal was declared cancer-free in September.

Texans safety Andre Hal was active for Houston's road win at Jacksonville on Sunday, taking the field for the first time since being diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in May.

"It was great to be back. It felt great. It was a blessing," Hal said, according to ESPN. "Everybody was really excited for me. People didn't really think I was going to come back. But I knew I was going to come back."

Active.#HOUvsJAX pic.twitter.com/JTAM4OlwQk

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) October 21, 2018

It was an emotional week for Hal whose father died of a heart attack Tuesday, and Hal said his father "wanted to see me back on the field."

Hal opted for a cancer treatment that didn't include chemotherapy. He was declared cancer-free on Sept. 26.

Hal was placed on the reserve/non-football ilness list before the season. He was activated the the Texans' roster on Saturday. The LSU product has played for Houston since 2014, totalling nine career interceptions.

Hal started all 16 games for the Texans in 2017.