After a year-long battle with stage 3 colon cancer in which he endured surgery, months of exhausting chemotherapy and weeks of daily radiation, New York Jets great Mark Gastineau has finally emerged cancer-free.
Now it is time to free himself of other burdens.
His latest health ordeal has made him more reflective about a colorful life that saw him go from Southwest farmboy to the toast of the Big Apple, where he became a cornerstone of the Jets franchise and an NFL lightning rod. Long before today’s constant, contrived on-field celebrations, Gastineau’s exuberant, never-before-seen “sack dances” ignited the fans — and a national debate on sportsmanship.