After suffering a seizure at practice on Wednesday, Eagles defensive tackle Mike Patterson sent out word via text that he’s fine.
While that message indicated that he was stable and showing no further signs of distress, subsequent tests revealed a potentially serious condition in his brain.
Sal Paolantonio of ESPN reports that Patterson has a “brain AVM,” a congenital tangle of blood vessels in his skull. Patterson will need surgery or radiation to repair the situation. Per Paolantonio, the Eagles are consulting with specialists before deciding on a course of treatment.
Here’s hoping that “the Eagles” include Patterson in that decision-making process.
We also hope that Patterson authorized trainer Rick Burkholder to share Patterson’s condition with ESPN, and thus with the world.
And finally we hope that the Eagles and every NFL team will have ambulances present at every practice. The fact that it took 15 minutes for an ambulance to arrive doesn’t exactly mesh with the league’s new obsession with safety. In cases of serious injury or illness, those 15 minutes could have a huge impact on the outcome of the situation.