Neiron Ball (Sept. 8, age 27)
Gifted former NFL linebacker Neiron Ball passed away of a brain condition on Monday, Sept. 8. He was 27.
Ball was first diagnosed with the brain condition, arteriovenous malformation (AVM), while he played for the University of Florida in 2011. That year, Ball went to the coaching staff complaining that he had trouble walking. When his AVM was discovered, doctors told him that vessels crucial to his heart and brain were tangled, had ruptured and were leaking blood down his spine. Ball was held out for a year after doctors performed a surgical procedure to repair the blood vessels. He made a comeback the following year and played so well that he went on to be selected in the fifth round of the NFL draft. Doctors originally stated that the condition would not return.
Ball had a promising but short career with the Oakland Raiders before being waived due to a knee injury.
Leave a comment