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Rigoberto Sanchez, left, was the holder for kicker Rodrigo Blankenship among his other duties.
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Former University of Hawaii place-kicker and punter Rigoberto “Rigo” Sanchez, now with the Indianapolis Colts, posted an upbeat message following surgery Tuesday to remove a cancerous tumor.
“Surgery went well. Overwhelmed by all the love and support everyone sent my way,” Sanchez posted on his Twitter account.
Sanchez, 26, who is in his fourth season with the Colts, did not give any other details or provide the location of the tumor.
He played in Sunday’s loss to Tennessee punting five times for an average of 50.4 yards and attempted an onside kick.
The Colts have not projected a date for Sanchez’ return and are said to be seeking a temporary replacement.
“I think they have to evaluate how the operation, the surgery (went), then they’ll go from there,” Colts special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone told the Indianapolis Star on Tuesday. “We won’t have any answers here in the near future, but we’re hopeful if we can handle our business moving forward that maybe we will get him later on. But it’s too early to tell.”
Sanchez, who is from Hamilton City, Calif., played two seasons, 2015-16, at UH where he led the Rainbows Warriors in scoring both years. He kicked a 55-yard field goal at Michigan in 2016, 1 yard short of tying the school record.
