W e’re not supposed to give you players to root for, but this is an exception.Andrew McDonald has been through enough drama over the last three years to last a lifetime. And with so much of the Panthers’ fan base dissatisfied with the team’s options at tackle, perhaps McDonald can be a guy some can get behind.The 25 year old revealed Wednesday that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer May 19. He had surgery the next day, which McDonald said removed the cancer.It could have been a lot worse. McDonald kept quiet for a while after he noticed a small bump. He eventually mentioned it to Panthers’ doctors during a physical in the spring, and an ultrasound found the cancer. Fortunately, it was before it had time to spread.”Right now it’s out. It’s been four weeks now, the incision’s recovered well and I’m feeling good,” McDonald said.After playing in college at Indiana, McDonald signed with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He spent the entire year on the practice squad, and was released at the team’s final cutdown last August.When Carolina signed McDonald to its practice squad in October, few noticed. But in February, his name popped up in national headlines. He confirmed he was a victim described in an investigation of the Dolphins’ harassment scandal, a past McDonald understandably didn’t want to get into Wednesday.He’s had enough to deal with the last month. First the surgery, and then losing ground in his effort to make the Panthers’ roster. The recovery process has caused McDonald to miss all OTA and minicamp practices, forcing him to work on conditioning while watching his teammates compete.One of those teammates is David Foucault, the big tackle from Canada. During rookie minicamp, we asked him if he was leaning on anyone in particular for help. He immediately answered McDonald.“After each play I go see him,” Foucault said at the time. “The coach is always talking to all the guys, so he’s like my personal coach.”McDonald will return to the field in training camp to once again fight for a job. Considering the battles he’s already gone through, don’t count him out just yet.”They scheduled surgery the next day and it kind of hits you at once,” McDonald said, when asked what he thought when he learned the diagnosis. “I just made up my mind not to get down and not to let it affect me. Just stay positive and obviously it’s worked out, thank God for that.”[gap size=”2.813em”]