Kansas City, Mo. ? Wide receiver Jason Avant arrived in Kansas City a few days ago, a mid-season signing by the Chiefs. He was leaving his hotel Tuesday when a woman mustered up the courage to approach him.

She didn’t want to welcome him to the team. Or wish him luck on Sunday.

“She said, ‘My grandson came downstairs crying, saying Eric Berry may have cancer,'” Avant recalled quietly. “For him to have that kind of impact on someone is impressive.”

It was a common reaction to the news Monday that Berry, one of the franchise’s most popular players, was found to have a mass in his chest that doctors believe could be lymphoma. The veteran safety spent Tuesday consulting with specialists at Emory University in Atlanta, near his hometown of Fairburn, in the hopes of establishing a definitive diagnosis.

Only then can the former first-round pick begin tackling what is certain to be his toughest opponent.

“I’ve played against Eric. I’ve had a few brief conversations with him. But everyone I know says he’s one of the humblest people you’ll meet in your life,” Avant said. “When you find out you may have something, it’s very heart-wrenching.”

Berry began to complain of pain in his chest during last Thursday night’s loss in Oakland, and the pain persisted when he showed up to the Chiefs’ practice facility the following day. He underwent a series of tests, including an MRI exam and CT scan, and the mass was discovered Friday night. He informed his teammates on Monday before departing for Atlanta.

The rest of the Chiefs were left to prepare for a critical AFC West showdown with Denver on Sunday night without one of the central figures in their defense, a former All-Pro who in just a few short years has established himself as one of the NFL’s best safeties.