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BREAKING: Alabama AD Bill Battle takes leave of absence to fight cancer.

The 73-year old Battle is in great shape, and should bounce back relatively quickly from this rare, incurable form of cancer.

Coach Bill Battle has always been in ridiculously good shape for a 73-year old man. His pearly whites and thick mane of silver hair are the envy of men half his age.

So in the Fall of 2015, when the very active Battle was dropping 20 pounds, no one thought too much of it -- Coach Battle had just changed up his exercise regime, most thought.

In this case looks, and assumptions, were deceiving — and potentially lethal, as Cecil Hurt reports.