DENVER — Ronnie Hillman, the leading rushing on the Broncos’ Super Bowl 50 team, has been placed in hospice in Atlanta, a source confirmed to 9NEWS following social media posts of several of his former teammates.
Hillman, 31, was diagnosed in August with renal medullary carcinoma, a "rare but highly aggressive neoplasm form of cancer that primarily affects young African Americans with sickle cell trait," his family said in a statement to TMZ.
Hillman was just 20 years old – the youngest player in the NFL – when the Broncos drafted him in the third round out of San Diego State in 2012. He played four seasons with the Broncos – all during the Peyton Manning era from 2012-2015. Almost painfully shy as a rookie, Hillman began to mature as a young man and gradually become more productive as his career carried on.
In his fourth season of 2015, he started the final 10 games of the Broncos’ 12-4 season, and first two games in the postseason. He rushed for 863 yards and 7 touchdowns that year. He started the postseason games against Pittsburgh and New England before he was moved to a secondary role behind C.J. Anderson, who rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown in the Broncos’ 24-10 Super Bowl win against Carolina.
The Broncos opted not to re-sign Hillman after he became eligible for free agency after the 2015 season. He played one more year, splitting time with the Vikings and his hometown Chargers.
Ronnie Hillman
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