Brian Schottenheimer recalls cancer journey after Jerry Jones revelation: ‘It could’ve gone a lot of different directions’

While speaking with the Dallas Morning News, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones revealed a decade-long battle with cancer. He credited an experimental drug that helped him beat Stage 4 melanoma.

That revelation led to another confirmation from Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer. He recalled his own cancer journey Wednesday while speaking with reporters.

Schottenheimer received a thyroid cancer diagnosis when he was 28 years old. At the time, he was working under his father, Marty, with the San Diego Chargers – one year after he was fired as Washington head coach.

A reporter asked Schottenheimer if Jones’ announcement inspired him to go public with his own battle. He said it’s not something he chose to keep private. He simply had rarely gotten a question about it. But like Jones’ situation, it could have had a few different outcomes.

“I don’t think I’ve ever kept it from anybody – I don’t think, maybe, I’ve ever been asked,” Schottenheimer said Wednesday. “I think it was just Jerry and how powerful his story is. Again, I’m not comparing my story to Jerry’s or anybody else. It’s my story. Like I started out with, mine was a lot less significant and serious than other people’s.

“But it just speaks to, again, here I sit and it could have gone a lot of different directions just like Jerry’s story could have gone a lot of different directions. But it’s nothing that I keep private. It’s hard to keep private when you do have the scar on your neck. But it’s one of those things that my heart does go out to people that have to deal with cancer or any disease that can be deadly and take a turn for the worst.”

How Dan Snyder impacted Brian Schottenheimer’s journey

When Brian Schottenheimer received his thyroid cancer diagnosis, he was in his second season with the San Diego Chargers, working under his father. But when he got the call, Marty made one of his own – to his former boss, Dan Snyder.

Snyder had previously dealt with thyroid cancer, as well, and Brian Schottenheimer said he didn’t know that at the time. But when his father called the now-former Washington owner, he didn’t hesitate to step in and help. As a result, Brian headed to the Mayo Clinic.

“Crazy enough, we had just been in Washington the year before – two years before – and did not know this, but Dan Snyder actually had had thyroid cancer,” Schottenheimer recalled. “I was not aware of that when I was coaching. So I get the word, and I go and I find my dad. He’s in watching the defensive film with the defensive guys and I kind of called him out of the room, said, ‘Coach, can I see it for a second?’ I said, I have cancer. And I broke down, of course. I lost it. He said, ‘Hey, we’ll figure this out and we’ll get you the best help we can get.’

“He picked up the phone and called Dan Snyder – a guy that two years before, had fired him. … I’ll never forget, he told me when Dan picked up the phone and my dad said to him, ‘Hey, Dan, I’ve got a problem. Brian has cancer.’ Dan said, ‘Marty, give me five minutes and I’ll call you back.’ And I think it was within 24 to 36 hours, I was on the operating table in Rochester, Minn.”

From there, Schottenheimer was able to beat cancer and embark on his coaching journey. As he gets ready to start his first season as a head coach, he looked back on the moment Snyder jumped in to help with his situation even despite the parting of ways a few years ealrier.

“It just shows you, when you’re dealing with things like that, everything competitively stops,” Schottenheimer said. “Like, Marty and Dan disagreed and wanted to go a different direction. But the minute he picked up the phone, he said, ‘Hey, give me five minutes.’ And he called his contact at the Mayo Clinic. Next thing you know, I’m on the operating table.

“My wife was pregnant with our first child. She’s about four months pregnant with our son, Sutton. It was a very traumatic thing for me.”