Agent: Bud Sasser cleared to play despite pre-existing heart condition
The agent for rookie wide receiver Bud Sasser says doctors at the Mayo Clinic have cleared Sasser to play football after the St. Louis Rams released him Thursday because of a pre-existing heart condition.
Sasser was the team’s sixth-round selection in April's draft but failed a physical, prompting the Rams to waive him under the non-football illness designation. Rams head coach Jeff Fisher says the team's medical staff as well as outside doctors recommended that Sasser not play football.
Sasser caught 77 passes for 1,003 yards with 12 touchdowns last year for Missouri but was not invited to the NFL combine, where prospects are given thorough medical examinations.
"It sucks. I would like to get out there and play. There's nothing like sitting back and watching, I'll tell you that much," Sasser told the Columbia Tribune. "If the opportunity comes up, I'll happily take it. As of right now, I don't really have an idea where to go from here."
Sasser's agent Scott Thiel said that doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., told Sasser that he is O.K. to play football again.
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"He has a very small case of the diagnosis given in St. Louis, he is at little to no risk, he should be able to play," Thiel said. "The doctor told Bud he in fact knows there are others in the league playing with this same issue."
Sasser and the team agreed to a four-year, $2.4 million contract Wednesday. He is allowed to keep his signing bonus of $113,737.
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