On Wednesday, Carolina Panthers defensive end Henry Anderson revealed why he missed the week 7 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 23rd.
The 31-year-old began experiencing numbness in his legs and arms, and his speech became blurred while at home with his wife on October 22nd.
“It was a stroke, so it’s basically like a blood clot in your brain,” Anderson said after Wednesday’s practice.
“It was a blood clot in the brain, that’s what the issue was,” he added.
“We got it resolved pretty quickly.”
NFL Carolina Panthers Defensive End Henry Anderson, 31, Hospitalized for "STROKE"…
"BLOOD CLOT" in his BRAIN…
Numbness in his legs…
Was placed on reserve/non-Football injury list on October 25th…
– The Spun, PanthersWire pic.twitter.com/tow7MT91lx
— Dr. James E. Olsson (@DrJamesOlsson) December 7, 2022
Henry Anderson reveals that he was placed on IR because he had a stroke. pic.twitter.com/7h0qjEA36o
— Carolina Blitz (@KeepBlitzin) December 7, 2022
“After countless tests with medical experts locally and nationally that couldn’t determine what caused the stroke, the Panthers on Wednesday opened Anderson’s 21-day window to return from the NFL’s non-football illness list,” according to ESPN.
“I’m a football player,” Anderson said.
“If I’m cleared to play, I want to be out there and play football because that’s what I love to do. I’ve been injured several times throughout my career, and it’s always kind of overwhelming when you’re injured and not with the team, so if the doctors say I’m good to go and I’ve got clearance I want to be out there with my guys and playing with my brothers.”
Cont. from ESPN:
Interim coach Steve Wilks said he’s hopeful Anderson will be available Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks (7-5). The Panthers (4-8) are two games behind first-place Tampa Bay (6-6) in the NFC South with five to go.
The 6-foot-6, 301-pound Anderson would provide depth to a unit that has given up an average of 159.4 yards rushing in its last five games.
The third-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts in 2015 said he’s felt “pretty normal” since doctors removed the clot.
“Running around doing drills, I just felt good,” he said.
Anderson said he didn’t know much about clots before he had the stroke, but learned through doctors that other professional athletes have had then and continued playing.
“I’m glad that I was kind of oblivious to what happened because there would have been a lot more panic,” Anderson said. “I’m definitely lucky.”
Anderson said he immediately knew something was wrong the day before the Bucs game when his legs and other extremities went numb. He called the Carolina medical staff and soon afterward was taken to a Charlotte hospital where he spent several days undergoing tests after the clot was removed.
Teammates weren’t immediately told details other than Anderson would not play against the Bucs the next day.
“I just kind of remember him not being at the meeting for personal reasons,” defensive end Brian Burns said. “They didn’t tell us right away what happened. Once you found out, yeah, it was a little scary.”
Anderson said he underwent every test imaginable to determine what caused the stroke.
“Every test we ran came back negative,” he said. “It was just something where I just kind of got unlucky, honestly.”
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