Garrett Scott’s football career may not be over just yet
Garrett Scott‘s heart may not be letting him play with the Seahawks right now, but it’s also telling him his football career isn’t over quite yet.
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Scott was drafted by Seattle in the 2014 NFL Draft with the hopes of improving a mediocre offensive line that was one of the few weak spots on the Seahawks last season.
But when it was discovered that Scott had a rare heart condition, the Seahawks had the tough job of letting him know his playing career might be in jeopardy.
“I was disappointed and I felt bad,” Scott said Thursday in an interview with Herdzone.com’s Jack Bogaczyk. “I felt like everything was taken away from me, all the work I had put in.”
Scott was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a rare medical condition that thickens the heart muscle and makes it difficult for the muscle to pump blood into the heart at an effective rate, according to Mayo Clinic.
But the Seahawks weren’t going to let Scott’s dreams disappear so easily.
They still signed him to a four-year, $2.3 million contract, and gave him his guaranteed signing bonus of $101,672.
As training camp rapidly approaches this week, the offensive lineman is on Seattle’s non-football injury reserve list, which means there is absolutely a chance Scott could still play in the NFL.
“…Basically what they were telling me was, ‘Hey, just for you to stay around here, find a place to live right now,’ because they want me out there,” Scott said in the same interview with Bogaczyk. “And I want to be out there as bad as they want me, if not more.”
Scott made 35 starts at Marshall and played a big part in the team’s blocking scheme, which allowed the Herd to throw for more than 294 yards per game and rush for nearly 206 yards per game, both in the top-25 in the nation.
Seattle could use Scott’s size and athleticism on the line and it’s great to see that he may be on his way to make a return.
“I don’t know percentages,” Scott said to Bogaczyk, “but I’d say it’s very likely I’ll be out there. If it’s not this season, then after that.”
Physically, his heart is causing a delay on fulfilling his dream of playing in the NFL, but emotionally, it’s motivating him to be positive because dreams do come true.