Tennessee LB Lathers Puts Pain Behind Him - NewsChannel5.com | Nashville News, Weather & Sports

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Forgive Tennessee linebacker Herman Lathers if he doesn't fret too much over a strained quadriceps muscle that has limited him for much of the preseason.

Lathers already has overcome far greater maladies.

The fifth-year senior spent much of his youth battling bone cancer. He fought that disease with the same tenacity he now uses to fight off blockers. Just as he was developing into one of Tennessee's most reliable defenders, Lathers fractured his left ankle and missed the entire 2011 season.

Now that Lathers finally has a chance to return, he doesn't plan to let an aching quad keep him off the field.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)