Josh Sweat Went From 'Life-Threatening' Internal Bleeding to Pro Bowl Fun
PHILADELPHIA - For the first time, Eagles Pro Bowl defensive end Josh Sweat shared the details of the scary situation that made him a late scratch in January's playoff loss to Tampa Bay.
Scant details were provided at the time but the team announced Sweat was ruled out against the Bucs after he underwent an emergency procedure to address a "life-threatening situation."
Needless to say that caught everyone's attention and football quickly became secondary to Sweat's health.
“It was serious,” Sweat said on Tuesday. "Just had a little bit of internal bleeding. Not a little bit. A lot. It was enough to pretty much keep me out."
Perhaps the most perplexing part is where the issue came from which Sweat described as an artery opening up.
“It just came out of nowhere,” he said. “Don’t really know-how. There were no signs. It just kind of happened. ... I was just chilling at the house. It just happened. I started feeling my abdomen get heavy when I stood up. ... I kind of had an artery open up a little bit, so it just kept bleeding.
"They cauterized it, closed it up.”
Sweat did mention that the issue wasn't football-related, however.
"It didn’t happen on the field," the 25-year-old edge rusher insisted when asked by SI Fan Nation Eagles Today.
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What's even more unbelievable is that "life-threatening" was able to be handled in such a quick and effective manner.
That's a testament to modern medicine, according to Dr. Ben Wedro, who practices emergency medicine and has provided medical consultation at major international sporting events like the Winter and Summer Olympic Games, and FIFA World Cup.
When contacted by Eagles Today Wedro noted internal bleeding is not terribly uncommon and could have been traced to a number of issues including something as simple as a bleeding ulcer.
Sweat's description of a heavy abdomen, however, turned the speculation toward an aneurysm that can cause a blood vessel to rupture.
Wedro noted that "internal bleeding in the abdomen is a big deal."
Aneurysms can occur in any blood vessel, according to Wedro and although they are more common in the brain (cerebral aneurysm), abdominal aortic aneurysms are always possible.
There was hope Sweat could actually play against Tampa Bay before the organization went the cautious route. The lanky defensive end insisted he would have played the next week if the Eagles could have upset the Bucs.
Bolstering that narrative was the fact that Sweat was healthy enough to play in his first Pro Bowl on Feb. 6 in Las Vegas.
“I’m fine now," Sweat said noting that team doctors informed him that there is no likelihood that this could be a reoccurring thing. "We took care of the issue. I’m back to 100 [percent]. Ready to start working again.”
Wedro noted that modern medicine has advanced to the point where a generation ago Sweat may have been rushed into major surgery but now treatments and procedures can be more targeted and effective.
The care Sweat received led him to the valuable Pro Bowl experience as the Eagles' youngest honoree since cornerback Lito Sheppard went as a 23-year-old in 2004. Las Vegas, like it often does, left the Florida State product wanting more.
"I felt like the little guy [at the Pro Bowl next to all the veteran stars]. That’s motivation. It was great to be around there, I got to speak to a lot of [teammates] and see how their mindset was.
"It was a great experience.”
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Along with high-profile, free-agent pickup Haason Reddick, Sweat is expected to spearhead what looks like a deep and potentially difference-making pass rush for Jonathan Gannon.
That hype comes after a career-high 7.5 sacks for Sweat in 2021, a number that matched Javon Hargrave for the team lead last season.
"The more rushers the better," Gannon said. "We'll figure that out as we get closer to game day and then on game day how we deploy those guys. But the more guys that we have that can affect the quarterback, we'll get them on the field and have them affect the quarterback."
Sweat's impressive 2021 campaign was the first step in proving the three-year extension for $40 million the Eagles gave him last September was money well spent.
The goal now is to keep getting better.
“Obviously I want to have a better season than the previous one every year,” Sweat said. “I want to keep getting better however that is. I just want to keep on improving."
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
