• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

LB Andrew Sweat (2011-12 B1G Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winner)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
NFL notebook: Concussions caused Ohio State's Sweat to quit football
Tuesday May 15, 2012

Former Ohio State linebacker Andrew Sweat said he decided to halt his pursuit of an NFL career after he suffered a reoccurrence of concussion symptoms last week.

Sweat said he didn?t ?feel right? a couple of hours after bumping his head on a wall as he stepped out of the shower at the Cleveland Browns? team hotel in Middleburg Heights.

?It was a tough decision for me, but in a sense, it wasn?t that tough,? Sweat said yesterday.

Sweat sustained a concussion last fall before the Purdue game, which he said was the third of his college career. He was cleared to play against Michigan, but didn?t after suffering a dislocated elbow in practice. It?s something Sweat now believes might have been a blessing in disguise. He passed medical tests and played in the Gator Bowl loss to Florida.

Before the draft, Sweat said he was eager to pursue his dream of playing pro football and believed he had a good chance to be drafted. He wasn?t, and signed as a free agent with the Browns.
Click to expand...

http://www.buckeyextra.com/content/stories/2012/05/15/concussions-caused-sweat-to-quit-football.html
 
Upvote 0
Law school or the NFL? Ohio State linebacker chooses torts over tackles
By MJD | Shutdown Corner

Given today's economy, any recent college grad would consider themselves lucky to have two viable options. Andrew Sweat, former linebacker at Ohio State, does have two options, and he's choosing to be a 1L instead of an LB.

He had a chance to make the Cleveland Browns roster as an undrafted free agent, but instead declared on Twitter that he was heading to law school.

cont...
Click to expand...

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-s...state-linebacker-chooses-torts-190045948.html
 
Upvote 0
CentralMOBuck;2155304; said:
There was quite an ignorant article on deadspin about Sweat yesterday.

Undrafted NFL Rookie Andrew Sweat Is Making A Mistake By Going To Law School [UPDATE]
Click to expand...

I know there are a number of law students (myself included) and lawyers on this board who can attest to the struggles of the legal market in general and the struggles facing those still in school, but to assume that Sweat hadn't done his research on the legal profession when he did his research on the NFL is ridiculous.

Best of luck to him wherever he decides to attend school - and if Sweat ever reads this, put in a good word for me with your dad ...
 
Upvote 0
Sweat ends NFL career
By F. Dale Lolley, Staff writer [email protected]

Trinity High School graduate Andrew Sweat was living the life he dreamed about since he was a child.

Though he was not selected in last month's NFL draft, the former Ohio State linebacker signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Browns and was attending his first rookie mini-camp last week.

That's when a life-changing - and football-ending - event happened to the Washington native.

"I actually got up early, 5 a.m., and was in the shower when I slipped and hit my head," Sweat said Tuesday.

For many people, that wouldn't be such a big deal.

For Sweat, who had suffered a major concussion last November during a 26-23 loss at Purdue, it most certainly was.

"I was sitting in a team meeting later in the day, and I started having symptoms of a concussion," Sweat said. "My head really hasn't been right since the Purdue game. It was scary."

After a visit to the Browns training staff and talking to the team doctors, Sweat came to a decision. His football career was over.

"It's tough," Sweat said. "It's been a dream of mine since I was 5 to play in the NFL. But I have a bright future ahead of me. I'm not just a jock. I picked my health over football."

Sweat, a three-time All-Academic Big Ten selection, plans on following his father, Gary, into the law business or going into medical sales.

"I'm not exactly sure yet, but I have options," he said.

Sweat has only good things to say about the Browns, despite being a lifelong Steelers fan.

"They were very respectful of my decision," he said. "They're a great organization from the general manager on down. They really supported me on this."
Click to expand...

http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/sports11/05-16-2012-Sweat-leaves-football-behind

Concussion symptoms end football career for OSU's Andrew Sweat
Published: Tuesday, May 15, 2012
By Doug Lesmerises, The Plain Dealer

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Andrew Sweat was depressed.

"I've never been depressed in my life. I'm the most positive person, and I was down. I knew it wasn't me. I couldn't control my thinking," the former Ohio State linebacker told The Plain Dealer on Tuesday. "I was not myself. My mind was not there. Some of the thoughts that were out there, I was getting worried about that."

Through January, February and March of this year, as he went through his classes at Ohio State and considered an NFL career, Sweat felt that way. Symptoms such as mental fogginess and dizziness from his three previous concussions at Ohio State, including his most serious concussion midway through his senior season, remained through those months. He also believes his depression was tied to his brain injuries as well.

But by April and May, Sweat started to feel better, so after he went undrafted, Sweat signed a free-agent contract with the Browns.

Then on the morning he was preparing to report to training camp last Friday, Sweat slipped and hit his head in the shower. Not that hard, he said. But hard enough to cause his concussion symptoms to return. So he took the final slip as a sign and decided to end his career as a football player, realizing that he'd been struggling with his decision to give football another chance all along.

"When I fell, it scared me," Sweat said. "Football is not worth my health. It's really important to me that I'm able to have a family and a life after football. Football is a great game, but when you have a concussion like that, it's not worth it."

cont..
Click to expand...

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2012/05/concussion_symptoms_end_footba.html
 
Upvote 0
Ex-Trinity star looks forward to life after football
By Jerry DiPaola
Tribune-Review
Published: Thursday, May 17, 2012

Andrew Sweat held the dream of playing in the NFL for 18 years, from age 5 through his 23rd birthday last month.

The dream died ? at Sweat?s own hand ? in a matter of hours.

Sweat, who played at Trinity High School and started at outside linebacker for Ohio State the past three seasons, signed a three-year contract with the Cleveland Browns three weeks ago after he was bypassed in the NFL Draft.

But after falling in the shower and hitting his head before the first practice of rookie camp this past Friday, Sweat told the Browns he was retiring. He said he suffered three concussions at Ohio State ? one in each of his final three seasons ? and the symptoms from the last one didn?t disappear until March.

He had no intention of risking a fourth.

?I want to have a life after football,? Sweat said. ?I don?t want to get dinged again and be brain dead. Football is a game I love, and it opened a lot of doors for me. But I am definitely more than just football. I think I am more well-rounded than that.?

cont...
Click to expand...

http://triblive.com/sports/1807083-...te-nfl-concussion-dream-trinity-andrew-browns

Andrew Sweat: Concussion fears led me to turn down the NFL
Posted by Michael David Smith on May 17, 2012

After playing linebacker at Ohio State for four years, Andrew Sweat signed as an undrafted free agent with the Browns this month. But Sweat surprised the Browns by changing his mind and leaving the team?s rookie minicamp over the weekend.

Sweat said on ESPN?s College Football Live that fear of life-long health effects from concussions was what made him decide he didn?t want to play in the NFL.

?It?s definitely scary,? Sweat said. ?I hear all the things about concussions, what happened to Junior Seau, it?s scary the repercussions that can happen because of a concussion, and it?s just something that I didn?t want to risk. I have a long life ahead of me and I think I?m a lot more than just a football player. I didn?t want to be in a situation where the depression, all that stuff sets in because of the concussions.?

Sweat dismissed any notion that he decided not to go through with football because he doesn?t love the game, or because he didn?t think he was going to make the Browns? roster as an undrafted free agent.

?It?s definitely the concussions,? Sweat said. ?I love the game of football, I?ve played it since I was 5 years old, I love everything about the game of football. It?s definitely who I am, it?s my favorite thing in the world. But when it comes to my health I just had to step away because my health is more important than the game of football.?

cont...
Click to expand...

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...concussion-fears-led-me-to-turn-down-the-nfl/
Andrew Sweat's NFL career derailed by concussions
By Dan Hope
[email protected]
Published: Thursday, May 17, 2012

The NFL appeared to be the next step in former Ohio State linebacker Andrew Sweat?s career, but less than three weeks after signing with the Cleveland Browns, concussion concerns have derailed his football future.

?I had three concussions at Ohio State,? Sweat said. ?I still was having symptoms, just worried about the longevity of my future. Too worried not to make the decision to step away.?

Sweat said he met with Dr. Michael ?Micky? Collins, the clinical and executive director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program, and was cleared to play.

?I went and met with Micky Collins in Pittsburgh,? Sweat said. ?I actually passed the test ? I decided to give the Browns a shot due to that, but I slipped in the shower and hit my head again and symptoms came back, so it was at that point that I decided to step away.?

cont...
Click to expand...

http://www.thelantern.com/sports/an...erailed-by-concussions-1.2872705#.T7Y2ssU8WAg
 
Upvote 0
Published: 5/21/2012
Injuries to head lead Sweat to new path
Ex-Buckeye decides NFL dream too risky
BY DAVID BRIGGS
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

COLUMBUS ? Andrew Sweat called home with startling news one day last December after sitting through a finance lecture at Ohio State.

?Dad, I don?t remember being in class,? he told his father, Gary.

Sweat took pride in his no-excuses toughness as a standout linebacker for the Buckeyes. No shredded ligament or broken bone deterred him. Not the two shoulder surgeries he underwent in high school. Not the torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered as a sophomore at Ohio State. Not the dislocated elbow or bent-out-of-place fingers.

But this was different.

The haze of a concussion ? his third at OSU ? that left him walking aimlessly off the field at Purdue weeks earlier persisted. He was depressed and forgetful, unable to focus in class. An All-Big Ten second-team linebacker but first-team academic, Sweat began to ponder life after football.

Sweat Sweat Enlarge
Earlier this month, on the morning he prepared to report to rookie camp with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent, Sweat said he slipped in the shower and bumped his head. The symptoms returned, as did his doubt.

Sweat then did something he never could have imagined growing up outside of Pittsburgh with NFL dreams.

He walked away from the game.

?Football taught me so much that the classroom could never teach me, but it?s still a game,? said Sweat, who has been accepted to five law schools and is also considering a career in medical sales. ?There?s so much more to life than football, so much more to life than the attention, the glamour. You have your whole life. I want to have a family, I want to have kids and I want to be able to play with them.?

cont...
Click to expand...

http://www.toledoblade.com/Ohio-Sta...mer-Ohio-State-Buckeye-Sweat-to-new-path.html
 
Upvote 0
Sweat chooses safety above NFL stardom
By Dan Hope
[email protected]
Published: Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Former Ohio State linebacker Andrew Sweat made national headlines when he walked away from an opportunity to play in the NFL on May 14, less than three weeks after signing with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent. He cited concussion symptoms as his reason to step away from the game.

Sweat made the decision that playing professional football was not worth risking his long-term health.

?I had three (concussions) at Ohio State,? Sweat told The Lantern. ?I still was having symptoms ? it was very scary. It?s not something that you experience often. You?re slowed down, you can?t think as well, it?s tough.?

The link between football and head injuries has been reported and discussed often by the media and scientists who determine causes of head injuries while researching the risks and ways to prevent brain damage.

Sweat said one of the symptoms he dealt with was depression.

?Your mind?s just not right,? Sweat said. ?I?ve never been depressed in my life but I mean, I was depressed in the spring because of my concussion. It?s definitely scary.?

cont...
Click to expand...

http://www.thelantern.com/sports/sweat-chooses-safety-above-nfl-stardom-1.2874239#.T74iAsX4Io4
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top