David Pollack’s life revolved around football for a significant time. That was his focus. He didn’t even have a girlfriend. But it changed once and for all when he met Lindsey. However, there was a small hiccup. David was a product of the Shiloh Christian High School of Arkansas and Lindsey was of Parkview High School. And the two schools were at loggerheads in Arkansas school football. So, David’s friends told him he could not date someone from Parkview, he revealed in a 2005 interview with ESPN. David was in no mood to pay heed to that.

In June 2005, David exchanged vows with Lindsey after the Cincinnati Bengals chose him as the 17th pick in the first round. “My only girlfriend turned into my wife 9 years ago today. Best decision I ever made. I love my Baby doll!” David had written in an X post in 2014. Indeed, it was. For all these years, together, they have seen all the ups and downs that started with the unfortunate ending of David’s NFL career before it even started properly because of a horrifying neck injury. They stood together when David got fired from ESPN in 2023. Now fate threw them into one more whirlwind when Lindsey was diagnosed with cancer.

On March 10, Pollack came with heartbreaking news on X, revealing, “I do not share much of my personal life on social media, but today is gonna be different. If you are the praying type, please lift up my wife Lindsey. She has brain cancer and surgery is Wednesday at Duke. So thankful to serve a loving God that meets us in our struggles.” On March 13, David shared a video of Lindsey from the hospital after her over six-hour-long surgery, with her head wrapped in a bandage. A week after that, David shared one more positive update on her condition.

On the March 19 episode of the David Pollack College Football podcast, he finally chose to ward off the worries. “Everything went great, man.” How relieving! Pollack then continued, “The number one thing was to get in for her tumor in her brain out, and that was success. We got to get the majority of the mass out, which was really really good.” Now, as they say, dark times are the greatest teachers. For the ex-linebacker too, this has been a new experience. 

Through Lindsey’s surgery, he has grown as an individual. “You start to have somewhat more sympathy and empathy for the other people that have gone through this stuff.” Even though the surgery was a crucial one, Pollack’s lady love has been a fighter. “She wanted to listen to Rhett Walker… The body was weak; everything was weak. But she was not.” David himself has been strong through all the debacles he faced in life. Take the instance of his life-threatening injury.

It was September 17, 2006, and the Bengals were playing their home opener against the Browns. In the first quarter, David got into a scary encounter with the Browns running back Reuben Droughns. “I hit Reuben Droughns and he hit me harder,” Pollack had told Bryce Johnson of UNPACKIN’ it in 2017. David fell, unable to move. Initial examination revealed a fractured C-6 vertebra. Two months after the injury, when Pollack visited the team’s locker room, wearing a protective halo to keep his neck in place, he did not have even an ounce of doubt about where to head from there.

“If I’m not more likely to get hurt again, then I’ll play,” Pollack told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “If I am, then I won’t. Cut and dried. It’s a very real possibility that I won’t play again. At the end of it, if the doctor says I’m 5 percent more likely to get injured again, there’s a zero percent chance I’ll ever play again. That’s a fact.” The zero percent prevailed. But another door opened for him.

In 2009, David joined ESPN and in 2011, he joined the network’s College GameDay broadcast. But in 2023, he lost that amid a layoff. However, facing it bravely, he had said, “I know God’s got something amazing for me.” Back then, it earned a lot of praise from his colleagues. Now, as he goes through one more personal battle, support is right there from every corner. 

Top Comment by Christopher “Jax Dawg” Stasiak

He’s from Georgia not Arkansas

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David Pollack’s tweet struck a chord with Kirk Herbstreit and Pat McAfee 

Pollack’s tweet did leave a mark on his longtime colleague Herbstreit. The two shared the same podium from 2009 until being laid off in 2023. So, the College GameDay host poured his prayers, too. “Prayers for Lindsey and the entire Pollack family.” After all, Herbsrteit can feel Pollack’s pain at a deeper level. That’s because his wife, Alison Butler, too, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024.

Herbstreit is also familiar with the word ‘cancer.’ Last year in November, he lost his beloved 10-year-old golden retriever, Ben, to cancer. Another College GameDay host, Pat McAfee too, joined Herbstreit in sending prayers for Lindsey. Yes, McAfee was the one who replaced Pollack on ESPN. This did not sit well with the Georgia fans. However, there is no sense of animosity between Pollack and the ex-Indianapolis punter. As McAfee once shared, “And then on GameDay, David Pollack got let go. David Pollack—who I am a massive fan of. One of the greatest Bulldogs of all time. A dude who was very good to me—obviously, I took his spot.” 

Now that David Pollack was in so much distress, he poured in some kind words. “All my positive vibes and prayers brother 🙏🏻🙏🏻.” McAfee also fought a personal battle when he and his wife, Samantha, had to fight her battle against infertility. The exhaustive process of in vitro fertilization (IVF) did leave them with physical and mental exhaustion. Their struggles united them, but their prayers made them family.