Former Detroit Lions football player Freddie Scott and his son Brandon Scott, who works for the Detroit Lions, are teaming up to raise awareness about prostate cancer. Freddie received shocking news on the same day in 2001 - he was being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame but also learned he had prostate cancer. While facing this health challenge was scary, Freddie advocates for early detection by encouraging open conversations about health and frequent screenings, especially for African American men who are at higher risk. He and Brandon hope to help other men and their families facing prostate cancer.

1. PROSTATE CANCER HEALTHWORKS: FREDDIE SCOTT FORMER LIONS FOOTBALL PLAYER, BRANDON
SCOTT COMMUNITY RELATIONS MANAGER (DETROIT LIONS)
By: Intern Sydney Stuck
[[DEENA INTRO]]
FORMER DETROIT LION… FREDDIE SCOTT… IS TEAMING UP WITH HIS SON BRANDON TO SPREAD THE
AWARENESS OF PROSTATE CANCER…. AFTER EXPERIENCING ONE OF THE HIGHEST AND LOWEST DAYS
OF HIS LIFE
[[NATS]]
[[DEENA]]
ON A SINGLE DAY IN 2001 FREDDIE RECEIVED TWO UNEXPECTED CALLS…….ONE FROM HIS SON…WITH
NEWS OF A DREAM COME TRUE…
[[STO FREDDIE]]
05:58 ...you're getting inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame," along with (4 players), and I was
like wow! I was thrilled, so it was a tremendous time for me.
[[DEENA]]
JUST HOURS LATER….A SECOND PHONE CALL REVEALED THAT ONE OF THE BEST DAYS OF FREDDIE'S
LIFE…WOULD DOWNWARD SPIRAL INTO SOMETHING TRAUMATIC AND LIFE CHANGING….
[[STO FREDDIE]]

2. 05:58 (CONT) and that same afternoon I get a call from my neurologist that said, "Mr. Scott, your test
came back positive with prostate cancer."
[[DEENA]
FREDDIE WAS USED TO THROWING A JERSEY ON AND FACING TOUGH OPPONANTS AS A RECIEVER FOR
THE DETROIT LIONS BACK IN 1978……BUT BATTLING CANCER CREATED A SCARIER AND POTENTIALLY
DEADLY COMPETITOR. TODAY…AS A 15 YEAR CANCER SURVIVOR HE HAS BEGUN TO DEDICATE HIS TIME
TO BRINGING ATTENTION TO THE ONGOING CONVERSTATION OF PROSTATE CANCER
[[SOT FREDDIE]]
06:23 Number one, I knew a little bit about my body, but not a whole lot about prostate cancer. At that
point it became about discovery, what happened, what can I do, what are my options, and where do I go
from here?
[[DEENA]]
FREDDIE WAS LUCKY IN HAVING AN EARLY DETECTION. HE OPTED TO HAVE SURGERY RIGHT AWAY
INSTEAD OF GOING THROUGH TREATMENT.
[[SOT FREDDIE]]
07:14 I didn't know a whole heck of a lot, but I learned a lot real quickly. And to me the most important
thing was to do an assessment of reality of what I was facing, making a right decision about those
options, and then there after having a mindset about what people need to know about this, because it
effects men, even more so African American men.

3. [[DEENA]]
BEFORE THE DIAGNOSIS… FREDDIE AND HIS SONS HAD NEVER REALLY TALKED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE
OF BEING VIGILANT ABOUT YOUR HEALTH…OR THE FACT THAT PROSTATE CANCER IS SO COMMON
AMONG MEN……..NOW HE MAKES SURE HIS FAMILY KNOWS EVERYTHING
[[SOT FREDDIE]]
07:14 (CONT) And because there is a genetic component to it, I need to let my sons know that it's
important not to wait until the doctors say "hey at age 50 get it checked out" but start even earlier.
Because the earlier you are diagnosed (if there is a diagnosis) the more options you have available to
you.
[[DEENA]]
ALONG WITH THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING YOUR FAMILY HISTORY….FREDDIE ALSO FOCUSES ON
ERASING THE "MALE PRIDE FACTOR"….HE SAYS IT'S IMPORTANT FOR MALES TO START MESSAGING OUT
ABOUT ILLNESSES AND HEALTH CHALLENGES…….SON BRANDON WHO WORKS CLOSELY WITH THE
DETROIT LIONS AS THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS MANAGER AGREES…
[[SOT BRANDON]]
20:19 I just think, it's just, you know there's different campaigns, but you really just have to man up. You
know I think that sometimes those are the things that you don't want to talk about or that you don't
want a doctor probing around in your private parts (so to speak) but I just think that it's important to do
whatever it takes to be able to spend as much time with our families as possible.
[[DEENA]]

4. THIS FATHER AND SON DUO ARE COMMITED TO OPENING UP ABOUT THIS ENORMOUS STRUGGLE OF
THEIR LIVES….AND BECOMING MENTORS TO THOSE GOING THROUGH SIMILAR SITUATIONS…FREDDIE
ESPECIALLY ENCOURAGES MEN NOT TO HESITATE WHEN IT COMES TO TALKING ABOUT PROSTATE
CANCER AND HEALTH….EDUCATION LEADS TO EARLY DETECTION….AND EARLY DETECTION CAN LEAD
TO SAVING A LIFE
[[TAG]]
IF YOU ARE ALSO LOOKING TO GET INVOLVED IN RAISING AWARENESS….M-I-U IS HOSTING RUN FOR
THE RIBBON 5K/ WALK THIS FATHER'S DAY AT THE DETROIT ZOO…THAT'S JUNE 19TH AT 8 AM….FOR
MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION DETAILS YOU CAN VISIT: MIU MENS HEALTH
FOUNDATION.ORG/ RUN FOR THE RIBBON RACE
[[DEENA]]
THAT'S HW….I'M DEENA CENTOFANTI