Journey Brown's football career has come to an unfortunate end.
The Penn State running back announced Wednesday that he has been forced to medically retire from football after he was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
I didnt even expect to make it this far but its about Journey, not the destination. #HLM #SIAM pic.twitter.com/nbQrIsjXzY
— SUNNY-D (@JourneyBrown6) November 11, 2020
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition that causes the heart muscle to become abnormally thick, is the same condition that forced Ohio State basketball player Abel Porter to retire from his sport, as he announced last week.
Brown had not played for Penn State this season after the condition was discovered in September; according to James Franklin, the determination that Brown could no longer play came after a second opinion confirmed the diagnosis. The condition is not related to COVID-19, but Franklin said the condition was discovered during a COVID-19 screening.
Before the condition was discovered, Brown was expected to be one of the Big Ten's top running backs this season – and a future NFL draft pick – after he rushed for 890 yards and 12 touchdowns on just 129 carries, along with 15 catches for 134 yards and another touchdown, in 2019.
