Patterson Visits Team; Agent Says 1 Week to Return
BETHLEHEM --- Mike Patterson has been released from Lehigh Valley Hospital, agent J.R. Rickert announced and the Eagles confirmed. In fact, your Eagletarian can confirm this as well, since he just walked past me, after holding a lengthy chat with Eagles coach Andy Reid, Patterson leaning on the running board of the SUV Reid was sitting in.
Patterson Visits Team; Agent Says 1 Week to Return
Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer
BETHLEHEM --- Mike Patterson has been released from Lehigh Valley Hospital, agent J.R. Rickert announced and the Eagles confirmed. In fact, your Eagletarian can confirm this as well, since he just walked past me, after holding a lengthy chat with Eagles coach Andy Reid, Patterson leaning on the running board of the SUV Reid was sitting in.
"I feel good," Patterson said. "I'll talk to you guys tomorrow."
An Eagles spokesman said there is no plan for Patterson to speak on Saturday, that he will not speak until the evaluation process is complete.
Rickert issued a statement yesterday that said Patterson might be cleared to practice within a few days, but Rickert amended that yesterday evening. The agent said Patterson had seen a doctor recommended by the team Friday afternoon, and that Patterson was told he could return in a week.
Earlier, just after the afternoon walkthrough, Eagles head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder updated reporters on Patterson's condition. The upshot was that while Burkholder is "very optimistic" about Patterson returning, he would not project a date.
Patterson suffered a seizure during Wednesday's practice and has been diagnosed with a brain AVM, a tangled mass of blood vessels.
Burkholder said Patterson was traveling to Philadelphia this afternoon to meet with team internist Dr. Gary Dorshimer. "They're formulating a plan of second opinions," said Burkholder, who refused to disclose the first opinion from the Lehigh Valley Hospital doctors, or say what grade of AVM Patterson has.
"I know there's reports out there that he'll be back in a few days and that kind of stuff," Burkholder said. "Like I told you before, we're not gonna estimate any time loss with this guy, or return to play time. We''re gonna go through the process. He's gonna start the process this afternoon."
Here is the text of Rickert's first statement, from his website: "Mike Patterson has been released from the hospital and will join his teammates at training camp. He is scheduled to see a neurologist in Philadelphia in the next day or so. We anticipate that he will be cleared to resume normal team activities within a few days."
Burkholder was asked if that report surprised him.
"No ... That's his desire," Burkholder said. "He wants to play. He would've practiced this afternoon if we would have let him. That's normal, and that's why he's a great player in the National Football League.
"As the guy who's gotta be responsible for Mike, I gotta pull the reins back on that and make sure we know exactly what we have before we turn him back in there."
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Other notes from Friday:
*Fenuki Tupou, in his third Eagles training camp, moved over from left tackle today and took right tackle reps with the first unit. He looked pretty good.
*Jeremy Maclin watched practice in jersey and shorts. Eagles coach Andy Reid reiterated what Maclin said Thursday, that the wideout is expected to be ready for the season. Reid again declined to discuss Maclin's illness, saying only that tests were being analyzed.
*This was the first practice day for all the vet free agent signees, and one thing was apparent -- you put Nnamdi Asomugha, Asante Samuel and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on one side of the ball, and have Mike Vick throwing to Sinorice Moss, Riley Cooper and Jason Avant, that's a mismatch. Maybe that's why Vick gave a terse "no," when asked if he had any update on DeSean Jackson's plans. Jackson has to report by Tuesday in order to retain the right to become a free agent in 2012.
*Jason Babin bought the No. 93 jersey from Trevor Laws, and it cost more than it would have at Modell's. If Modell's stocked Trevor Laws jerseys. Babin said he was legally bound not to disclose what he paid Laws, who is now No. 91.
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A few words on some of the comments below: I had no idea my blog was read by so many experts on the craft of journalism. I am truly blessed!
Maclin's family is not commenting on his illness. I am thrilled to learn that whether he has been treated at such-and-such a facility is supposedly a matter of public record. Perhaps I should start randomly calling doctors in various specialties, here and in Missouri, in hopes of stumbling across someone who might have treated him for something, even if they can't tell me what it was.
Or, I could just keep checking with Maclin, Reid, and Eagles players, under the assumption that in the busiest training camp in the history of the NFL, an illness that apparently is going to be resolved by the regular season isn't worth a 24-hour fullcourt press on my part. And under the assumption that as long as Maclin is at Lehigh, working toward a return, he isn't deathly ill.
Yeah, maybe I'll just keep doing that.
But thanks for the advice!
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i believe i read on espn maybe that maclin had mono!!!— NASTYONE- Comment removed.
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- Huge difference from the original prognosis! Atta boy Mike-- get back to the Dream Team!— HAROLD Eskin
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- Happy for Mike Patterson, he's a nice guy who deserves to make the team as long as the doctors clear him.— hallux
- Happy for Mike Patterson, he's a nice guy who deserves to make the team as long as the doctors clear him.— hallux
- I read up online about AVM. Most of the time they're only found during autopsy. That is, the patient died of something else totally unrelated. On the other hand, Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota had an AVM that burst, which caused his aneurysm. Patterson's damn lucky he didn't get hit the wrong way in all the years he's been playing the game. I hope this can be taken care of safely for him!— Elle Dakey
- hope patterson is okay. why ask andy. he wont tell the truth. dont know if the "dream" team will do much of anything this year but i hope they do. go eagles....— phillysportsnut
- Also, the media should quit speculating on Patterson's medical condition. Frankly, it's just plain irresponsible. In barely 2 days, I've seen "reports" that the kid will have to have brain surgery, his career may be over, etc. People are interviewing doctors who have nothing to do with Patterson asking for all these medical opinions that are just complete speculation. It's really not fair to the kid to print all that stuff without a legitimate basis for it.— JimG
- "Maybe that's why Vick gave a terse "no," when asked if he had any update on DeSean Jackson's plans." Maybe Vick is just tired of answering all of the stupid questions about Jackson. The guy is holding out, he wants more money, blah, blah. He'll be back by August 9th or he won't be able to become a free-agent for an extra year. No way he misses that deadline. These players must get tired of answering the same questions 100 times from you guys.
— JimG - No reason to knock Spadaro. We all know what he is.....a paid shill to promote the Eagles' agenda. Nothing wrong with that. Its his job. We'll all find out the details about Maclin in due course. As long as he's ready to play Week 1 that's all we, as fans, should be concerned about. Anything else is his personal business, and if he doesn't want to talk about it, that's his privilege.— SteveS11
- dragoon, you need immediate psychiatric intervention.— johnny eagle
- Being a "paying customer" and disliking Andy Reid's policy with journalists does not give you the right to access a pipeline of privileged health information for his prognosis. If you don't agree with that, then don't buy your $10 t-shirt. The ultimate irony of your misguided comment is that you want this information when you yourself hide behind a screen name. Les Bowen has been pursuing this issue with ethics, and your request is unethical. You need to learn a lesson from him.— Bob1
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- @ Quixote: I certainly agree. We don't need --- should not need -- to know what Maclin's illness is or the details of treatment. But two points to consider: 1) he is a football player. His illness is affecting his ability to play, and while we should not be privy to the details of his illness, we (as paying customers) should be honestly informed of his prognosis and/or progress. Which brings me to point #2) Reid has shown repeatedly that he is NOT honest with journalists. While I can appreciate that there's a strategy there, wanting to be tight-lipped regarding our competition, his lack of candor creates an information gap that the journalists, ideally, would fill.... that's all I'm saying.— BigRoundRed
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- Friends and family is one place to start. Maclin is tight-lipped because of the Eagles handlers. He's been trained to shut-up. What about his friends? Mom and Dad? Maclin's probably asked them not to say anything, but isn't that where a true journalist's work begins? Journalists can also find out where (if anywhere) a person was treated; that's not privileged information. (The treatment, yes.)
More and more the so-called journalists of these great Philly papers are sounding like Dave Spadaro. Tip to fans: many of you seem to have forgotten, but Spuds is PAID by LURIE. He's like an ad-man for the Eagles. He is PAID to spin things in the Eagles favor. The real press isn't supposed to be so servile. Fourth estate: does that mean anything to anyone at these "newspapers"?— BigRoundRed - Thank you, your answer confirms my point. In this case, a journalist would only be left with friends and family. If they are true and loyal, all you'd have is "no comment from his mother and father," which is pointless to even print. And while many hospitals will tell you if a person is a current patient, and some will not, virtually none today will confirm or deny if someone was a previous patient. Go, call, try; you'll learn. WHY Maclin isn't speaking is irrelevant to your original point. Your Spadaro comment is irrelevant to your original point. — PhilaLogic
- I'm curious about Maclin, too. A bit concerned. Maybe it's just the tail end of a bad illness? But it's not clear to me what a journalist can do here. Medical information is legally confidential, so doctors are out. The team is notoriously tight-lipped. Maclin has decided not to say anything. Any friends or relatives who would share information about his health aren't truly close friends or relatives. Asking a doctor not treating him to speculate based on vague symptoms is useless. Maybe I'm missing something. If you want National Enquirer speculation, that's easy to come by. If you want reporting, whom do you suggest to ask?— PhilaLogic
- Are there any true sports journalists left in Philadelphia? Andy has been feeding them a sweet line about Maclin being ill -- reports of weight loss, conflicting accounts of what the illness is, and now AR says that new "analyses" are being done. Are our Philly journalists really satisfied with that? Are they too timid to pursue the story? Do they even know HOW TO PURSUE a story? (Hint: you might not get straight answers from AR. Maybe have to look elsewhere.) Fer chisssakes, get off your duffs and do some work!— BigRoundRed
- Am I missing something? Did he get treated? Meds? I mean, a "tangled mess of blood vessels" isn't just going to go away, right?— Philly Fan in Kuwait
- the decision is up to the doctors and mike patterson. period. the rest of you can go pound sand.— The Boston Strangler
- He needs to get back as quick as possible. We need our Super Bowl win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!— jdld610
- Get on the field tomorrow Patterson! Full pads. In the words of Bill Lyons, "athletes are prostitutes, they sell their bodies." The Eagles bought his, and we need him ready for week one.— dragoon6
- What he needs is for us fans to trust in what Mike Patterson and his doctors feel is right for Mike. If you read hubbs in frisco's comments above he can in fact have a normal life depending on his treatment and HIS condition.— Zeedog
- sounds like something serious going on with maclin— zwarte piet
- Agreed, JettMartinez. Wishful thinking on his agent's part. He needs to take it easy, and make sure he does the right thing for his health.— dlscholt
- Actually I have worked with AVMs for a number of years and have been involved in diagnosing them and the medical physics part of treating them. This isnt necessarily as big a deal as it may get made out to be. They can be serious to the point where they need to be treated or they could affect quality of life and then there are others that can simply be left alone and treated alot more conservatively and never affect a patients life at all.— hubbs_in_frisco
- I hope there's someone looking out for this kid other than a money grubbing agent.— JettMartinez
- Considering something as serious as this, Mike should not be back. They need to let a neurologist properly evaluate him and decide if any sort of football activity could trigger another attack. Take your time Mike, your priority should be your well being, not football.— PingasMan
- Patterson take it easy, your life is not worth trading for football as nice as it would be to have you back on the field.— urbnasty
