Troy wide receiver Chris Lewis won’t play this season following surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his leg, he announced on Tuesday.

Lewis was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, after the 2023 season. He sat out of spring practice, but had hoped to return to the field this fall.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Lewis’ status on Tuesday morning, and Lewis later confirmed the news via a social media post. Trojans head coach Gerad Parker is expected to address the issue at Sun Belt Conference Media Days in New Orleans next week.

However, Lewis was not able to recover sufficiently to play this season. He will serve as a student assistant coach while taking a redshirt season.

The full text of Lewis’ statement:

“Thank you so much for your calls, messages, Tweets, DMs and love over the past six months; I can’t express how much your support has meant to me and my family.

“There is nothing more that I want than to be back in The Vet this fall, wearing Cardinal and White and playing side-by-side with my brothers. Unfortunately, the effects of my treatments will not allow me suit up and play during the 2024 season.

“However, my story is nowhere near complete, and I am blessed to announce that I am returning to campus this fall and will get to run out of the tunnel at The Vet as a student assistant.

“Go Trojans!!”

A Pleasant Grove High School graduate, the 6-foot-4, 204-pound Lewis made an immediate impact after transferring to Troy from Kentucky in 2023. He caught 32 passes for 735 yards, and ranked among the national leaders in yards per catch (22.9) and touchdown catches (10).

Lewis was one of just a handful of returning starters for the Trojans, who won the Sun Belt Conference championship each of the last two seasons. Troy will now count on junior Devonte Ross and junior-college transfer Zeriah Beason to lead it receiving corps.

Lewis has started a GoFundMe page to help raise money for his treatment.

Troy opens the 2024 season at home Aug. 31 vs. Nevada.