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LeakyValve

LeakyValve

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 22, 2008
Messages
76
Location
Leesburg, VA
Here's some more info on it from Yahoo: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/sh...-of-tight-end-Brian-Mandeville?urn=nfl,143293

At first blush I really don't see any reason why this young man's career has to be terminated before it even started, but of course the info is pretty sketchy at this point regarding exactly what his heart condition is.

But if he just needs one of his valves replaced (presume it would be mitral or aortic), I don't see any reason why he couldn't play football. Etan Thomas is an example of a basketball player who came back to play after valve replacement. There are others.
 
Pro Football? Could be a hard time getting a team to hire him. A young man....what kind of 'guarantee' for valve life? Obviously tissue valve. Re-op? Cracked Sternum?
We know what it is like for some people to get life insurance with valve issues. Professional football seems a big stretch....sadly for this young man.

I can't even imagine a college team would approve him to play..... grant a scholarship?
 
Jkm7 said:
Pro Football? Could be a hard time getting a team to hire him. A young man....what kind of 'guarantee' for valve life? Obviously tissue valve. Re-op? Cracked Sternum?
We know what it is like for some people to get life insurance with valve issues. Professional football seems a big stretch....sadly for this young man.

I can't even imagine a college team would approve him to play..... grant a scholarship?
Click to expand...

I would guess that in regards pro football teams Brian Mandeville will face hesitation on their part to hire him, but if he gets a clean bill of health from doctors after valve replacement (if that is all he needs), and he is physically capable, he should be able to get hired. Modern heart valves are durable and technologically advanced enough that a 'guarantee' for valve life should not be an issue. I would guess that this might affect his salary though.

I do not agree with 'obviously tissue valve'. I presume this is based on avoidance of coumadin. I do not believe that someone playing pro football could not be on coumadin. There would be some risk, but I do not believe it to be an unacceptable risk. Head, etc injuries are rare enough, and with the protective gear, he should be able to play football. Re-op would not be an issue with mechanical, and a minor issue with a tissue valve if the tissue valve manufacturer's claims of 20 years are to be believed. Cracked sternum should not be an issue because when the sternum is healed it is probably stronger than it was before with the addition of the wires. He will need health insurance (which he should still be able to obtain, although it may cost him more), but not life insurance to play pro football.

I think what he faces more than anything else is hesitation and fear on the part of the teams to hire him.
 
Football was the one sport Justin could not get doctors clearence to play. As for football and Coumadin, I can't imagine any doctor signing off on that, or any team insurance saying ok, if only because of the high rate of concussions. I could be wrong tho
 
Lynlw said:
Football was the one sport Justin could not get doctors clearence to play. As for football and Coumadin, I can't imagine any doctor signing off on that, or any team insurance saying ok, if only because of the high rate of concussions. I could be wrong tho
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I agree Lyn...with as many serious concussions that occur in the NFL, if someone on Coumadin recieved the same trauma to the brain it's possible that it could be life threatening. I wouldn't worry about receiving a cut or scrape, but serious blunt trauma could be dangerous. And even if it didn't cause an emergent problem I'm just guessing that any injuries like that would cause the player to miss games.

As for what his particular heart valve problem is I'm going to take a guess that he might have a BAV with an aortic aneurysm since they mentioned that lifting heavy weights could put him at risk. Hopefully he studied hard and graduated so he has another career to fall back on.

Doctors told Mandeville that he has an abnormal heart valve that could put him at risk by playing football and lifting heavy weights.
Click to expand...
 
I wish they'd give more detailed info. I can't understand why, if he needs a valve replacement, that he couldn't play if he went with tissue. Of course, for his age, I'd be against it because of reops, but that's me. We just aren't getting the information about what his deal is and guessing that he needs a new valve. Might be something else.
 
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