Video of 7-year-old Neb. boy who's battling cancer running for touchdown attracts millions

Published April 08, 2013

Associated Press

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  CORRECTS JACK HOFFMAN AGE TO 7, NOT 6 AS ORIGINALLY SENT - Nebraska's Taylor Martinez (3) guides seven-year-old Jack Hoffman, of Atkinson, Neb., down the field for his touchdown play during a special segment dedicated to Hoffman during the second half of the Red-White Spring Game Saturday, April 6, 2013, at Memorial Stadium. Hoffman, of Atkinson has won the hearts of fans and everyone in the football program for his courageous bout with brain cancer. (AP Photo/Lincoln Journal Star, Matt Ryerson)The Associated Press

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  CORRECTS AGE OF JACK HOFFMAN TO 7, NOT 6 AS ORIGINALLY SENT - Nebraska's Taylor Martinez (3) prepares seven-year-old Jack Hoffman, of Atkinson, Neb., for his touchdown play during a special segment dedicated to Hoffman during the second half of the Red-White Spring Game Saturday, April 6, 2013, at Memorial Stadium. Since 2011 Hoffman has been struggling with seizures and complications related to a brain tumor. (AP Photo/Lincoln Journal Star, Matt Ryerson)The Associated Press

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LINCOLN, Neb. –  Standing barely chest-high to his Nebraska teammates, 7-year-old Jack Hoffman was the star of the Cornhuskers' spring game this weekend after taking home the title of leading rusher.

And now his 69-yard touchdown, along with his story about fighting brain cancer, is attracting millions of fans.

Video of Jack dressed in a full Nebraska uniform, charging down the field Saturday before more than 60,000 fans, had been viewed more than 2 million times on YouTube by Monday. It also aired on ESPN and national news networks.

His father says he hopes Jack's memorable touchdown will highlight the need for more research into pediatric brain cancer.

Jack, who lives in Atkinson, Neb., was diagnosed in 2011. He's had two surgeries and is on a two-week break from a 60-week chemotherapy regimen.

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Carter praises Chavez for 'improving the lives of millions'

While President Obama called the death of Venezuela strongman Hugo Chavez a chance for a "new chapter" in the Latin American country's history, former President Carter instead praised the strongman's "commitment to improving the lives of millions of his fellow countrymen."

News on Tuesday of Chavez's death after a battle with cancer generally was greeted with a mixture of relief and hope in Washington, where Chavez has long been a persona non grata. But Carter and at least one Democratic congressman instead publically mourned the socialist president.

Carter, offering "condolences" to Chavez's family, said he and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, met him during his first presidential campaign in 1998.

"We came to know a man who expressed a vision to bring profound changes to his country to benefit especially those people who had felt neglected and marginalized," he said. "Although we have not agreed with all of the methods followed by his government, we have never doubted Hugo Chavez's commitment to improving the lives of millions of his fellow countrymen."

Carter said Chavez's "bold" leadership helped cut poverty rates and integrate Venezuelans into public life. Left unsaid was how much the country's oil boom contributed to those advances, and some critics have said Chavez squandered the opportunity to put those proceeds to better use. Inflation and crime, meanwhile, have soared.

Chavez was criticized for unprecedented power grabs at home, and much of the disdain felt toward him in the U.S. came from his willingness to ridicule America's leaders, from Bush to Obama.

"We recognize the divisions created in the drive towards change in Venezuela and the need for national healing," Carter said. "We hope that as Venezuelans mourn the passing of President Chavez and recall his positive legacies — especially the gains made for the poor and vulnerable — the political leaders will move the country forward by building a new consensus that ensures equal opportunities for all Venezuelans to participate in every aspect of national life."

Democratic New York Rep. Jose Serrano, too, spoke highly of Chavez, based on the Venezuelan leader's visit to Serrano's district in 2005.

"Though President Chavez was accused of many things, it is important to remember that he was democratically elected many times in elections that were declared free and fair by international monitors," Serrano said. "President Chavez was a controversial leader. But at his core he was a man who came from very little and used his unique talents and gifts to try to lift up the people and the communities that reflected his impoverished roots. ... He understood democracy and basic human desires for a dignified life."

That statement drew a swift retort from Republicans.

“It’s simply insulting that a Democrat congressman would praise the authoritarian ruler Hugo Chavez. Chavez systematically cracked down on the basic freedom and liberties of Venezuelans, nationalized private industries and befriended anti-American dictators like Castro, Ahmadinejad, and Assad," Republican National Committee spokesperson Alexandra Franceschi said. "Americans should stand together with the freedom loving people of Venezuela as they hope for a peaceful transition to a democracy, instead of praising the former dictator."

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