Cancer survivor and legendary Syracuse University Basketball coach Jim Boeheim is featured in the next Real Men Get Tested for Cancer radio and television commercial. Or, is he?

The Hall of Fame Coach offers up a tongue in cheek performance in the commercial, claiming he's refusing to be in the spot. "I will not appear in your commercial for Real Men Get Tested," Boeheim says in the commercial to co-founders of the organization, WIBX morning show host, Bill Keeler and local business leader Tim Reed.

Keeler and Reed banter back and forth about how enthused Boeheim is to be in the commercial and at one point, they feel there might be an assistant coaching job in the new found relationship for Keeler. In true Boeheim fashion, the legendary coach puts an end to that misinterpretation very quickly.

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Keeler and Reed founded Real Men Get Tested in 2019 after, in the same year, they were both treated for cancer. Keeler underwent surgery for colon cancer and Reed for prostate cancer, and both say they are now cancer-free. The lean non-profit organization which has no payroll and no administrative payouts, works through the Community Foundation to purchase radio, television, print and web advertising to remind men of the importance of getting tested for cancer because early detection of the disease can save lives.

"We often use humor to get our message across in our ads," said Keeler. "We feel guys tend to pay more attention to messages like ours that are a bit off the wall and we're hoping the message really sinks in," he said. Keeler and Reed feel that the male gender tends to procrastinate more when it comes to getting tested, a fact that inspired them to start the campaign directed towards men.

"Don't be stupid. Real Men Get Test for cancer," Boeheim says in the commercial. "That's exactly the message we want to get out there," said Reed. "We know that it's a fact that your chances of full recovery increase immensely if you can catch the disease in its early stages. There are easy tests out there that can detect the disease and we just want to get as many men as possible to listen to their health care providers and act before it's too late," he said.

Both Keeler and Reed expressed their appreciation for Boeheim's participation in the commercial. "Having someone as respected and well-known as Coach Boeheim in our commercial will go such a long way in getting people to pay attention to this important message," said Keeler. "I was one of those procrastinators as I delayed my colonoscopy by four years. It was Tim who convinced me to get it done. Had I waited, cancer might have killed me."

In late 2001, Boeheim was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He had surgery in December of that year and only took six days off from coaching. Since then, he and his wife Julie have promoted causes related to cancer awareness and research through their Jim and Julie Boeheim Foundation

Do you want to see the new TV commercial before it airs? Watch below.

 

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