Matt Light reveals he's had Crohn's disease since 2001

[ctpatsfan77]

Hat tip to new poster Hazy for pointing this out.

Probably deserves its own thread but i cant start one:

Light's decade-long battle with Crohn's - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

Matt Light battled Crohn's disease for his entire pro career including the Patriots giving him a 6year contract 30 days after coming close to dieing and dropping nearly 50lbs to 260lbs...insane stuff

Makes what Light did all the more remarkable. (The article notes he's not the only NFL player with Crohn's—David Garrard has also had it.)

 

[woolster22]

Nice seeing someone deal with the disease like that. Crohn's is a daily battle, but proper diet and small changes seem to make a world of difference in our house, although sometimes I hear "I want the good version" and kind of chuckle. Happy I can put my culinary back ground to good use on a regular basis.

 

[nashvillepatsfan]

well, atleast his retirment makes sense now. I wish him well

 

[DarrylS]

Light was a warrior and this just confirms what we already know...

 

[363839]

Hat's off to Matt. Crohns is no joke. God bless him.
Thanks for the great years, Matt. Good luck.

 

[patsfan13]

Hope he is able to control the disease going forward certainly cast a different 'light' on his decision to retire.

All the best for Matt and his family.

 

[Bertil]

Amazing. Both of my sisters have Crohns and they've had all kinds of issues. One nearly died after emergency intestinal surgery. Ongoing lifelong issues. It's an ugly, nasty affliction.

All the best, Matt. Good luck to you.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

well, atleast his retirment makes sense now. I wish him well

Huh?

He's 33 years old and has started 150+ NFL games and another maybe 20 playoff games in a fantastic 11 year career, when the average NFL career spans 3.5 seasons or so.

He has three SB rings, is a former All Pro and Pro Bowl Player and protected one of the Greatest QB's of all times.

He's retiring while he still has his wits about him and can anticipate a middle age when he isn't hobbling around with a wrecked back and bad knees.

He is well-respected and active in the community and has a life outside the white lines.

Why didn't his retiring make "sense" to you before the revelation of his battle with Crohn's?

 

[Gronkandez]

Huh?

He's 33 years old and has started 150+ NFL games and another maybe 20 playoff games in a fantastic 11 year career, when the average NFL career spans 3.5 seasons or so.

He has three SB rings, is a former All Pro and Pro Bowl Player and protected one of the Greatest QB's of all times.

He's retiring while he still has his wits about him and can anticipate a middle age when he isn't hobbling around with a wrecked back and bad knees.

He is well-respected and active in the community and has a life outside the white lines.

Why didn't his retiring make "sense" to you before the revelation of his battle with Crohn's?

In the article it says the Crohn's was a factor in his retirement and that he wanted to go out on his terms.

Most people don't retire at the top of their game when they have $3.5M coming to them.

 

[Fencer]

I have ulcerative colitis, which is not the same as Crohn's, but obviously in the same family.

Medication is crucial; whether or not you can live a normal life depends on your response to medication (and meds started getting MUCH better 25 years ago than they were before). I was one of the lucky ones, responding well even to the older meds that many folks couldn't handle.

Diet is an ongoing challenge, because you don't really KNOW what does or doesn't affect you. You also don't know what does or doesn't trigger serious flare-ups.

I'd expect an extra level of fatigue as well.

All of the above are true of UC. I think that with one important exception they're also true of Crohn's, the exception being the effectiveness of standard meds (better in the UC than the Crohn's case).

 

[PatsFanSince74]

In the article it says the Crohn's was a factor in his retirement and that he wanted to go out on his terms.

Most people don't retire at the top of their game when they have $3.5M coming to them.

I read that as well (while he acknowledged it was a factor, he also said that it wasn't the primary reason for his decision).

But, even if it had been the primary reason, it still wouldn't change my point, which was that Light's retirement made "sense" even without yesterday's revelation. He isn't the only athlete to retire at the top of his game and leave money on the table because he's taking a long term view on the rest of his life.

 

[Jackson 2]

Amazing. Both of my sisters have Crohns and they've had all kinds of issues. One nearly died after emergency intestinal surgery. Ongoing lifelong issues. It's an ugly, nasty affliction.

All the best, Matt. Good luck to you.

It is a horrible disease. My best friend who was also the best man in our wedding died of it at the tender age of 44. Best wishes to Light.

 

[Tunescribe]

But, even if it had been the primary reason, it still wouldn't change my point, which was that Light's retirement made "sense" even without yesterday's revelation. He isn't the only athlete to retire at the top of his game and leave money on the table because he's taking a long term view on the rest of his life.

This is not an unreasonable perspective. But his decision to retire now after having such a good season and with another two or three (at least) solid seasons ahead of him certainly made me wonder. Top-flight NFL offensive linemen routinely play into their mid-thirties. The Crohn's revelation explains a lot.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

This is not an unreasonable perspective. But his decision to retire now after having such a good season and with another two or three (at least) solid seasons ahead of him certainly made me wonder. Top-flight NFL offensive linemen routinely play into their mid-thirties. The Crohn's revelation explains a lot.

It's hard to disagree with that.

Where I'm coming from is that I think the awareness that is beginning to grow in the NFL of the long term impact of head trauma will start to enter into these decisions, even if someone has not been diagnosed with a "concussion" or series of concussions. The science around concussions is pretty undeveloped to the point where the line is blurry between a concussion and serious head trauma that doesn't rise to today's technical definition thereof.

I think we're going to see more and more guys who have had great careers hang it up in their early-mid thirties after 10--12 seasons.

It used to be that all the attention was on orthopedic deficits of NFL players in middle age. I personally know a guy who played serious College football (LB) and then basically kicked around a handful of NFL teams for a few seasons before going back to school for a grad degree; he was starting to have trouble with his knees even in his early thirties. Today, I can run faster and am more flexible than he is, even though he once played in the storied NFL.

Now, guys are becoming aware that there's a whole other set of issues around cognitive and mental deficits that are lot murkier and could have a lot more serious effects on the quality of their lives when they're 50 or so.

 

[BradyManny]

Makes what Light did all the more remarkable. (The article notes he's not the only NFL player with Crohn's—David Garrard has also had it.)

Damn! I have even more respect for Matt Light. That is remarkable.

 

[Shockt327]

Wow. Yet another case where the Patriots sucessfully keep injury (or disease) information in-house. No leaks in that ship. Can't believe nothing has got out about this for a decade.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Wow. Yet another case where the Patriots sucessfully keep injury (or disease) information in-house. No leaks in that ship. Can't believe nothing has got out about this for a decade.

Bill Belichick should be declared a National Asset.

When he retires from the NFL, he should be appointed Assistant to the President of the United States for National Information Security, from which position he will put the "Classified" back into "Classified" and the "Top Secret" back into "Top Secret."

 

[Off The Grid]

Bill Belichick should be declared a National Asset.

When he retires from the NFL, he should be appointed Assistant to the President of the United States for National Information Security, from which position he will put the "Classified" back into "Classified" and the "Top Secret" back into "Top Secret."

"That Information is being shared on a Need To Know basis, and you don't Need To Know."

 

[everlong]

He was on AAF this morning talking about it. The only reason he came out now was to positively affect those who are also suffering from the disorder. He said he never did before because he didn't want people feeling bad for him and saying stuff like well Matt could have done that but not for Crohn's and he wanted no part of that.

Another great part of the interview they asked what were his favorite practical jokes he played on people. He said I can't tell you most of them. They asked that disgusting? He said no most of them don't know they were pranked or by who. LMFAO!!! That is just the best. Most people, myself included, would want the credit. He didn't give a crap and I think these two stories define who he was and why he's an underrated Patriot. He DID his job and let the accolades fall to others and still doesn't care.

He did share his favorite one. In training camp when all the fans are there he paid a guy to come in with a loud cowboy outfit that was bright and bold. The guy was really tall and lanky and stood out from jump street. So he had him stand right next to the clock they run the two minute drill off of and Belichick has them hit the clock with the video before each snap so he can break it down on film after.

So Light also gives him these huge signs to hold up that say stuff like "I like Mayo on my buns" and stuff like that about all the players. So Light said the best part was the fans were all screaming at the guy "You jerk, you should be ashamed" but he never came out of character.

So they go to watch the tape after and the players are simply rolling on the floor and even BB cannot make it through the start of the next play without completely losing it.

You don't replace guys like that.

Good luck Matt and thanks for everything.

 

[The Scrizz]

Huh?

He's 33 years old and has started 150+ NFL games and another maybe 20 playoff games in a fantastic 11 year career, when the average NFL career spans 3.5 seasons or so.

He has three SB rings, is a former All Pro and Pro Bowl Player and protected one of the Greatest QB's of all times.

He's retiring while he still has his wits about him and can anticipate a middle age when he isn't hobbling around with a wrecked back and bad knees.

He is well-respected and active in the community and has a life outside the white lines.

Why didn't his retiring make "sense" to you before the revelation of his battle with Crohn's?

He was also still very good which I think is the other poster's point. You don't see too many players who can still play well and making good money just walk away.

I wouldn't begrudge him his retirement regardless but the Crohn's can't just be ignored as a significant factor. I'm glad he has time to play with his knucklehead kids now.