Western Bulldogs legend Brad Johnson has revealed he had a tumour removed during the 2025 season, that he only found during a game of bubble soccer while filming with Fox Footy.
The AFL star was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called liposarcoma, which he initially thought was a minor injury.
The footy player said he found the lump in his back after the game of bubble soccer.
“I wasn’t sore at all, but just noticed my lat muscle was sticking out a bit more than normal,” he told The Howie Games.
“I didn’t really think much of it; I’m like, I’m not sore, I was in an enclosed position with the bubble soccer, so I thought maybe something minor had happened, a bit of swelling from a knock, and I’ll be fine,” he added.
“So I let it go for a week and nothing was changing. Not sore at all, just pronounced.”
The cancer usually begins as a painless lump, with swelling and discomfort emerging as it progresses.
Johnson eventually decided to visit the Bulldogs long-time club doctor Jake Landsberger to get it checked out and was immediately told to get an ultrasound.
“I remember the young lady who took the ultrasound, she left the room and brought the more senior doctor in and basically said to me there’s a good size lump in there. It’s about 11 or 12cm.”
The Bulldogs player received almost six weeks of radiation treatment before they removed the lump that was “the size of a small footy”.
“It grew quick, and thank God it exposed itself in that way, so I was able to get on top of it – a bit of luck, in some ways,” he said.
Now, he is on the mend and wants to help others going through the same thing.
“I’m finding it more and more easy to talk about it now that I’m through. We’ve got to an endpoint, as such,” he said.
“I know there’s still a little bit of work to do over the next couple of years, but ultimately, I’ve been through a process, let’s talk about it, let’s open it up so people can get some positive reinforcements themselves.
“If I can assist the positive approach to dealing with something like this, then great.”
Image: Instagram
