Josh Sweat recalls life-threatening health scare during last year's playoffs

Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat recently recalled a life-threatening health issue during last season’s playoffs. The incident happened ahead of Philadelphia’s Wild Card loss to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was an incident that legitimately could have ended in Sweat’s death. So, what was this life-threatening health scare?

Sweat had suffered a ruptured artery.

“I felt my abdomen heavy from all the blood spilling in there, but I didn’t know what was happening. He asked me what was wrong,” Sweat told the New York Post.

His first call was to his parents and then his agent. After that, he called a team doctor, who he explained the problem to.

“And I said, ‘I think I’m dying.’”

The doctors didn’t seem to take it seriously at first, at least not in Sweat’s recollection. He said that the doctor thought he was joking and joked back that he has to play Brady the next day. So, Sweat called himself an Uber and went to the hospital.

Once he was at the hospital, he had to undergo an emergency procedure and would miss the game against Tampa Bay.

“It wasn’t that scary to me because I called [the team doctor], I was like ‘Just get me there, let me find out what’s going on,’ and then they let me know, but I was already in the hospital at that point when I found out how serious it was.”

For his mother, it was a scary experience. He had tons of blood in his stomach and would have died had he just gone to sleep.

“The scary part was when they said how much blood he actually had in his stomach. They said if he had fallen asleep, he never woulda woke up again, and Josh loves to sleep,” she explained.

While Sweat wasn’t able to play in last season’s playoff game, he’s been dominant for the Eagles this year, totaling 11 sacks. In the playoff win over New York, he had 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Now, he is looking to make his mark on Super Bowl history by harassing Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Josh Sweat was carted off against New Orleans

During Philadelphia’s Week 17 loss to the New Orleans Saints, Sweat suffered a scary injury where he had to be stretchered off the field. He then missed the regular season finale against the Giants.

According to Adam Schefter, he was taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons. There was concern he had a neck injury, though he did have the ability to use his extremities.

Luckily, Sweat wasn’t severely injured and was able to return for the playoffs.