Moments after the Washington Redskins chose Florida State defensive end Markus White in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft with pick No. 224, John Keim of the Washington Examiner tweeted a link to this 2009 article about White. It seems White has been battling seizures since the seventh grade:
"I'll just be doing something, and then I'll wake up in a hospital or on the floor," White said. "It just happens."
So far, doctors have been unable to determine the cause of White's seizures. He takes a pill three times a day to help control the seizures.
"They always happen about a year apart," White said. "I can't control it. I don't think the medicine can control it. I can't worry about it. It will mess my day up if I worry about it. I figure if it's going to happen, it's going to happen."
Despite these unexplained and debilitating seizures, White is regarded as an excellent pass rusher, and you're not just hearing that from me. Former Seminoles defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews had some pretty strong thoughts on White:
"He's one of the most dedicated players that we have," FSU defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews said. "He's got the size, the speed and the skills to be a great player. He's got a great motor. You don't find many players that will give the effort that he does. He has tools very similar to some of the great ones we've had in the past, but he's still learning the position."
Here's hoping White eventually wins this battle, and in the short term, I for one will be pulling for this seventh rounder to be a surprise star whenever training camp begins. In fact, maybe it's just me, but the Redskins sure seemed to draft a lot of guys in the last three days that I want to root for and see succeed. Now that's a foreign concept.