Reporters at the June 9 press conference at the Carolina Panthers‘ building thought it would be just a regular Q&A with head coach Dave Canales. But the 45-year-old, only in his second season as a head coach, sparked some intrigue with a distinct change. Part of his nose was covered with a Band-Aid, which protected a site he’d had surgery on.

Dave Canales revealed that he had been diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, which had been found on a small spot on his nose. A team from the Dermatology, Laser and Vein Specialists of the Carolinas found the disease during routine testing for the team. Canales had the cancer surgically removed last Friday.

“It’s a good reminder not to take these things for granted,” Canales said, per DaShawn Brown of WSOC TV. “It was a basal cell type of skin cancer in a small spot, and they were able to get it off. So I’m really appreciative.”

The Panthers’ head coach was diagnosed with the issue during a routine skin cancer screening performed by the team a couple of months back, which was fortunately not as aggressive as other kinds of cancers. Per New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital, this is the most common kind of skin cancer, and is not life-threatening in most cases.

Canales also revealed that his mother, Ritha, had struggled with the same disease when she was in her 40s. The Panther head coach said that he had already been making sure to protect himself with sunscreen before going out in the sun since then.

“This is my opportunity to say go get screened,” he added. “This is something that can be caught and detected early; they took care of it and took care of me, so I’m really appreciative of them.”

With this positive update from Canales about his cancer diagnosis, the Panthers fans can breathe a sigh of relief. Canales came close to pulling off a winning season last year, and is expected to take the team to a better record this season. He was limited a little during practice due to the procedure but assured the media that things are looking up for the team otherwise.

“I would say it was an above average practice,” Canales added. “The execution was pretty solid. I think there’s another level of exertion that we can go to. I was advised not to run or yell because of my surgery—Well, what I do is I run, and I yell, you know. But there were some moments where I wish we could have given a little bit more effort on both sides chasing the ball down.”

With his skin cancer procedure completed, Dave Canales can turn his full attention to the 2025 season, where Carolina will look to build on a solid 2025 campaign and defend its first division title in a decade.