NFL Star Jimmy Graham Hospitalized Days Before Comeback from Year-Long Absence
Former NFL All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham was taken into custody and subsequently sent to the hospital after an incident with police.
According to TMZ, law enforcement had been called about a suspicious person acting erratically at a Southern California resort on Friday.
After seeing Graham wandering in the streets, police tried to rein in the 6-foot-7 NFL star, but allegedly met with resistance.
Graham was taken into custody on a pair of misdemeanor charges:
- Suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance
- Resisting, delaying and obstructing a police officer
The 36-year-old tight end was ultimately released — though the incident is still under investigation.
After TMZ broke the news that Graham had been arrested, his team, the New Orleans Saints, released a statement explaining that Graham was dealing with “a medical episode” that ultimately led to him being taken to a hospital.
“New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham experienced a medical episode last evening, which resulted in him becoming disoriented,” the statement read. “He was taken into custody by local authorities and transported to a local hospital for evaluation for what Dr. John Amoss believes to be a likely seizure and spent the night under medical supervision and testing.
“Amoss met Graham at the hospital and is overseeing his care at this time. He was released this morning and is with the team as they continue preparations for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers.”
While it’s unclear whether Graham was going to play against the Chargers in their preseason tilt (it’s not uncommon for veterans to often skip the rigors of the preseason), this is still a notable stumble in the tight end’s return to the league.
The NFL regular season begins Sept. 7, so there are only a few weeks for Graham to get up to speed after missing the previous year.
Graham’s roster spot is not guaranteed, so every rep would’ve mattered.
This setback for Graham is particularly noteworthy, given the grand way he was returning to the Saints — the same team that had taken him in the NFL Draft.
Graham went unsigned and did not play in 2022, and is hoping to recapture the same magic he had in New Orleans during his first stint.
The mammoth tight end made the Pro Bowl in three of his first five seasons on the Saints, including an All-Pro berth in 2013.
He immediately clicked and thrived with future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees.
Despite that early success, Graham has only made the Pro Bowl twice in the ensuing seven seasons, including none since 2017.
While Brees won’t be there to sling the football to Graham this go-around, there was still some positive momentum building toward his return to familiar haunts.
Now that momentum has been derailed, as Graham appears to be dealing with a much more serious issue than an NFL roster spot.
Incidentally, this isn’t the first time Graham has been involved in a very serious health issue.
According to Bleacher Report, back in 2021, Graham complained that he was “basically forced” into getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
Graham was taken in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Saints after a productive career at the University of Miami.
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