by youdoit22 » Sat Apr 04, 2015 8:35 pm
It was the Seattle times July 2014
July 18, 2014 at 2:43 PM
Seahawks rookie Garrett Scott talks about his heart condition, football future
Posted by Bob Condotta
Seattle rookie offensive lineman Garrett Scott talked openly about the heart condition that led to his being waived by the team in May, and his hopes that he will someday be able to return to the field, in this story here from the website of his alma mater, Marshall University.
Scott, who was taken by the Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2014 draft, was not made available to Seattle media in the aftermath of the initial news that a rare heart condition would prevent him from playing football anytime soon, and possibly ever.
But in the story on HerdZone.com, Scott explained the diagnosis, and where things stand now:
“They said I had an enlarged heart, like on one of my ventricle walls at first,” Scott said. “But what they’re saying right now, it’s called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, where one wall is larger than the others.
“They say it could have been from strenuous activity from working out hard, like I did to get ready to be drafted and before camp. A lot of stuff can play into it, because when I was here, I was fine. I got a screen here, at Marshall, and everything showed I was fine.
“Your heart is a muscle, so when you work, your heart works. So, those days when I was doing two-a-days, going at it by myself, working to get drafted, I could have triggered something then. That’s why they have me on a period now where I’m not working out at all. Nothing.
“We’ll just see where everything goes.”
The story quotes Scott saying he will have more tests soon that could further clarify whether he will be able to return to football anytime soon.
The story also notes that Scott had an older brother who died of heart disease at a young age.
Says the story:
“It wasn’t the same thing,” the former Herd tackle said when asked if his condition was similar. “They looked at a lot of things, they even checked (his brother’s) autopsy, where it was something totally different. But they took that precaution, and that’s where we are, a precaution. What it’s about is being cautious, because that’s the last thing anybody wants — the last thing I want — is somebody to pass away on the football field. There’s just a lot of stuff playing into it right now.”
And while for now, Scott remains sidelined, the story notes he is feeling positive about being able to play again, quoting him saying it is “very likely” he will return to action eventually.
As was reported at the time, the Seahawks signed Scott to his rookie deal, paying him a bonus of just over $101,000, knowing it was then going to waive him due to the heart condition. Scott spent OTAs and mini-camp generally wearing his jersey and watching practice from the sidelines, or with the OL group when it went through position drills.