From Heisman Trophy winners to Hall of Famers, they all lined up to get heart scans. The NFL Player Care Foundation has launched a new program to promote comprehensive heart screening for players. 33 former and current NFL stars underwent scans earlier this month. Players have long denounced against the NFL’s poor health watch, so many were thrilled to see this new program. Former Kansas City Chiefs running back Ted Mcknight excitedly said,
“This has been needed for a long time. This can help catch things in guys who have had issues who probably would have let it skate by. It’s important to have an idea of where we are physically. We know we are beat up … but to know internally where we are … you’re curious to know.”
The players had nearly $3,000 worth of testing done to them: heart and artery imaging, cholesterol testing, blood pressure testing, body fat and a 64 Slice CT Scan. Hopefully this new awareness towards heart scans and heart disease will influence other athletes and organizations to take steps towards prevention.
