Denver

Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton played in their recent victory over Las Vegas Raiders despite being diagnosed with testicular cancer a few days earlier.

The 31-year-old had surgery last Friday to remove a cancerous tumor that was in its early stages – a day after he made nine tackles in the Broncos’ 10-7 win over the Raiders at Mile High Stadium.

In a post on his Instagram account,, external Singleton said his health concerns started over two weeks ago following a drug test that showed elevated levels of the hormone hcG in his system.

A visit to a urologist, who performed an ultrasound last week, revealed the presence of testicular cancer.

Singleton said he is on the road to recovery after an operation and predicted he will return to the field in “the coming weeks” as he awaits additional test results but has “a great prognosis”.

“I wrestled with sharing such personal information publicly,” Singleton said.

“But the fact is, if it helps one person decide to pay closer attention to their body, then it is well worth it.

“Early detection and regular screenings save lives and can save loved ones from a lot of grief.”

The Denver Broncos ground out a narrow 10-7 win over the Las Vegas Raiders to maintain the best record in the NFL.

In a tight game, just three points scored in the whole second half but they were vital as Wil Lutz scored a 32-yard field goal to send the Broncos to an 8-2 record.

They had more penalties than first downs in a stop-start game at Mile High Stadium but are top of the AFC West after a seventh straight win.

Coach Sean Payton said his team can refine their style as they look to keep on winning games.

“We’ve got to clean up some of the penalties. We’ve got to clean up the execution and that is an ongoing thing that probably never ends,” he said.