UNC player shows support for rival's cancer fight

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Tuesday, December 8, 2015
North Carolina wide receiver Ryan Switzer is interviewed during the team's NCAA college football media day in Chapel Hill, N.C., Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2015.
North Carolina wide receiver Ryan Switzer is interviewed during the team's NCAA college football media day in Chapel Hill, N.C., Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2015.
AP-AP

The University of North Carolina may have come up short against Clemson in the ACC Championship game Saturday, but one Tar Heel showed his winning spirit off the field - and on it.

Junior wide receiver and punt returner Ryan Switzer honored an ACC rival, Pitt running back James Conner, with a message on his cleats with the hashtag #ConnerStrong written on them.

Switzer's tweet told Conner, who has been diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma, that he wasn't alone in his battle against cancer.

Conner, a junior who was the 2014 ACC Player of the Year, announced Friday that he was ill and will begin chemotherapy next week. He missed most of the year after hurting his knee in Pitt's season opener against Youngstown State.

The Tar Heels beat the Panthers in Pittsburgh 26-19 on Oct. 29. Switzer had five catches for 126 yards and a touchdown in that game.

Despite his arduous year, Conner has remained positive.

Thanks to Switzer and other athletes pouring out their support, Conner knows he'll have a cheering section all the way.

More here.

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