The New England Patriots placed offensive tackle Calvin Anderson on the non-football sickness list prior to their 2023 training camp. At that point in their planning, it was a typical process transaction, but there were still questions about the offseason purchase and his prospects going forward.
Finally, Christopher Price of the Boston Globe provides an explanation from his recent, must-read story. In addition to coping with an almost fatal episode of malaria in the summer, the New England Patriots player later suffered a cardiac contusion during practice.
In an interview with the Boston Globe, Anderson disclosed that he began the 2023 season on the non-football illness list because he had gotten malaria on a trip to Africa before training. With a 104.5-degree temperature, Anderson was admitted to a Massachusetts hospital due to his severe condition, where medical professionals informed him that his chances of survival were slim to nonexistent.
After four days in the hospital, the New England Patriots player, who turned 27 last year, was allowed to leave. After being removed from the NFI list at the end of August, he played every offensive snap for the Patriots in Weeks 1 and 2. He performed admirably in the first game of the season, but he had a terrible performance against the Dolphins on Sunday Night Football in Week 2, which resulted in him playing inactively for three games and receiving zero snaps in the following three games.
Anderson was placed on injured reserve again in November with an unexplained injury.
Price further detailed that the New England Patriots player suffered a heart contusion from a collision at practice.
“They get on the sideline and I sat down, and my heartbeat wouldn’t stop. It just kept going … boom-boom-boom-boom-boom. I’m sitting there, at rest, and my heartbeat is just going,” Anderson told Price. “We ended up going and getting it checked out, and after a long period of time trying to figure out what it was, the cardiologist assessed it was a heart contusion from a hit. They didn’t really know what was causing it. But just imagine how rare this is. We get hit in the chest on every single play as an O-lineman. It just so happened that it was a combination of the position I was in and not seeing it, it caused temporary damage to my heart. Like a bruise.”
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Once the story was published, Anderson posted a video on Instagram explaining his situation as his wife, Sherée, said that doctors at the hospital told her, “If you brought him a few hours later, he literally would have died.”
New England Patriots Offensive Tackle Calvin Anderson Certified Lock To Make Roster
Last offseason, New England Patriots offensive tackle Calvin Anderson was battling malaria, a life-threatening disease caused by parasites from mosquitos.
Heading into 2024, the Patriots restructured his deal, which makes him a virtual lock to make the roster, as his release would cost the team $2.31 million in dead cap while saving just $300,000, via Pro Football Talk.
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