On Tuesday afternoon, Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat shared additional details about the bizarre injury that kept him out of the team’s playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January.
Leading up to the wild-card round, the Eagles announced that Sweat had been ruled out after he underwent an emergency procedure to address a life-threatening situation.
“It was serious,” Sweat said. “I had a lot of internal bleeding. It was enough to keep me out.”
The 25-year-old edge rusher explained how he suddenly felt light-headed and experienced pain in his abdominal area while he was seated on his couch at home. He insists the injury wasn’t caused by anything football-related; he also mentioned that team doctors believe it won’t be a recurring issue.
“It just came out of nowhere,” Sweat said. “Don’t really know how. There were no signs. It just kind of happened. ... It didn’t happen on the field. 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.”
He continued: “I’m fine now. We took care of the issue. I’m back to 100 [percent]. Ready to start working again, no more issues.”
Sweat didn’t play in the playoffs, but he was able to recover in ample time to participate in the Pro Bowl, which was played at the beginning of February in Las Vegas. That annual showcase of the NFL’s top players served as a culmination of his efforts.
Last September, he signed a three-year extension worth $40 million. Sweat played a significant role, especially following Brandon Graham’s season-ending injury. Sweat finished with a career-best 45 tackles, 13 quarterback hits, and 7½ sacks. He became the team’s youngest Pro Bowler since Lito Sheppard in 2004.
“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. I felt like the little guy [at the Pro Bowl]. 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.”
An NFL first for Eagles
The Eagles made history Tuesday when they joined the league’s international home marketing area program — an NFL-led initiative to develop its teams into global brands. For the first time in franchise history, the Eagles will expand their marketing efforts into Australia, New Zealand, and Ghana.
Philadelphia is the first NFL team to host marketing efforts in Africa, as it joins 19 other teams in the NFL’s international program.
Autism Challenge raises record $4.1 million
The Eagles held their fifth annual Autism Challenge on Saturday around Lincoln Financial Field and across the city. The event raised a record $4.1 million for autism research and care programs, the team announced. Since the Eagles Autism Foundation’s inception in 2018, it has raised more than $16.1 million.
This past weekend, 2,891 participants took part in the team’s annual cycling and 5k run/walk charity event. The route took participants on rides all throughout Philadelphia. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 44 people living in the U.S. are on the autism spectrum.
Several members of the team participated in this year’s Autism Challenge, including owner Jeffrey Lurie, coach Nick Sirianni, quarterback Jalen Hurts, wide receiver DeVonta Smith, and center Jason Kelce.
“It was great to get the community together for such a good cause,” Sirianni said. “To see how many people are passionate about this event — it’s awesome.”
Said Hurts: “It’s a big deal for this city. It’s a big deal for our organization and the autistic community. The foundation we’ve created, we want to bring awareness to it. ... What we’re building now is very special. Connecting and coming together as a football team to do great things in the community and on the field, it all matters.”
