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Everyone wanted to know what was wrong with Philadelphia Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin ? the third-year speedster from Missouri hadn't practiced since the end of the lockout, and there were all kinds of rumors about his health.
Finally, in an exclusive interview with FOX Sports' Jay Glazer that was released Wednesday, Maclin revealed that he did indeed have a cancer scare this offseason. He was given a battery of tests after suffering mysterious symptoms such as weight loss, iron anemia and irregular results in his blood tests. On May 11, he was told that a diagnosis showed his lymph nodes were "enlarged and hot" ? a possible sign of lymphoma.
Maclin told Glazer of a very different offseason from the�norm�? instead of the usual workouts, he had large needles inserted into his back to take biopsy samples. Maclin had bone marrow tests, radiology scans and other tests to make sure that cancer wasn't an issue.
Meanwhile, the rumors persisted.
"I wanted my privacy on this until I had answers," Maclin told Glazer, when asked why he didn't reveal anything. "I don't like to talk unless I have all the answers about what I'm talking about. It was frustrating to hear all the rumors about me. It wasn't until this morning that I finally got my final answer and thankfully I'm healthy and ready to return to football."
After his tests were completed, Maclin finally got the good word on Wednesday afternoon, just an hour before he spoke with Glazer: No cancer. He was in the clear.
"I want everyone to know I'm fine, I'm healthy," Maclin told Glazer. "I was tested for everything and every single test came back negative. I don't have mono, I don't have AIDS, leukemia, all the things people were guessing on, there was nothing ... thank God everything has come back negative.
"It was all caused by an inflammatory virus, something that just runs its course through your body or you can treat with medicine," Maclin said about the source of the scare. "I didn't need medicine. It's just something I had to deal with."
Now that his offseason nightmare is over, Maclin can return to an Eagles squad that has been named the "Dream Team" by more than one pundit. The Eagles were already stacked with talent, but�they've been hyper-aggressive in the offseason, adding�cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins, quarterback Vince Young, and receiver Steve Smith.
This is the second health scare the Eagles have had to deal with this preseason ? defensive tackle Mike Patterson suffered a seizure during practice in early August that was caused by an arteriovenous malformation in his brain. Reports indicate that Patterson is on the road to recovery as well.
In 2010, Maclin caught 70 passes for 964 yards and 10 touchdowns.
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