Ronnie Hillman, Denver Broncos Alum, Enters Hospice Care at 31

By Brian Jones

Ronnie Hillman, a former NFL running back who spent the majority of his career with the Denver Broncos, entered hospice care at 31 years old. His former teammate, Orlando Franklin, shared the news on his Twitter page, saying that Hillman is "not doing well." Another former teammate, Derek Wolfe, said that Hillman is battling liver cancer. 

"It's not looking good," Wolfe said on 104.3 The Fan. "He has pneumonia and I'm putting it out there just to send positive vibes his way." Hillman was selected in the third round by the Broncos in 2012. He was with the team for four seasons and won a Super Bowl in his final season in Denver. In 2016, Hillman was a member of the Minnesota Vikings and San Diego Chargers (now Los Angeles Chargers). He signed with the Dallas Cowboys in July 2017 but was cut from the team before the season began. 

Per TMZ Sports, Hillman's family released a statement, saying that he was diagnosed with renal medullary carcinoma which is a "rare but highly aggressive neoplasm form of cancer that primarily affects young African Americans with sickle cell trait" back in August. The treatment has not been successful and has been kept comfortable and out of care in hospice care. 

"As a family, we hope beyond hope, and we have faith that can move mountains," the family said. "We also understand that God's will is not always ours; therefore, we as a family subject ourselves to the will of our Almighty God. We need your prayers, but we also need your understanding and respect for Ronnie and our family's privacy at this time."

For his NFL career, Hillman rushed for 1,976 yards and 12 touchdowns. His best season was the Super Bowl year in 2015 when he rushed for 863 yards and seven scores. According to Mercury News, Hillman was one of the inaugural players in Snoop Dogg's Snoop Youth Football League which debuted in 2005. The two reunited during the Super Bowl. 

"I just hugged him," Snoop said at the time. "That's my baby right there. He just told me his moms said hi because she was thinking about back when I took them to Florida to play in against a team in the Orange Bowl before he even got to high school. It was an experience that changed his life. It changed all the kids lives that was on that team because it was taking them out of California to play against top-notch competition that got them ready for events like this."  

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