Wednesday afternoon one of the nation’s top running backs announced he will be medically retiring immediately. Penn State’s head coach James Franklin announced that Journey Brown will no longer be able to play football due to a heart condition. The condition was discovered during COVID-19 testing, though it was not associated with the virus.
Journey Brown, our No. 4 running back in the 2021 NFL Draft class, posted today via Twitter he was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This is a heart condition that causes the muscles in the wall of the heart to thicken and become stiff over time. This can lead to an abnormal blood flow through the heart.
Last season Brown was one of the Nittany Lions top players on offense, rushing for 890 yards and 12 touchdowns on 6.9 yards per rush. He stands in at 5’11, 217-pounds, and was projected to be a focal point of thor offense this year. As I stated earlier Journey Brown was the No. 4 running back in my rankings and a Top 100 player in the 2021 NFL Draft.
“He’s going to be very successful. And I don’t know if he wants to stay in football or whatever he decides to do, but he’s going to be unbelievably successful.”
– James Franklin
Wogenrich, M. (2020, November 11). Penn State Running Back Journey Brown Ends His Football Career. Retrieved November 12, 2020, from https://www.si.com/college/pennstate/football/penn-state-running-back-journey-brown
The Nittany Lions are 0-3 for the first time since their 2001 season where they finished as a 5-6 football team. Penn State will be looking for their first win of the season against the 0-2 Nebraska Cornhuskers.
