Journey Brown will not play football anymore.
Penn State said last month that the Nittany Lions running back was being treated for a medical condition and could potentially miss the season, and head coach James Franklin confirmed Wednesday that the condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, is career-ending. Franklin told reporters about the prognosis after practice Wednesday.
"It's heartbreaking," Franklin said with a heavy sigh. "When it happened, you're in shock. You feel physically sick about it. You're in shock."
Franklin said the condition became apparent during routine COVID-19 testing. He also said the circumstances were not related to the coronavirus. Brown, a junior from Meadville, Pa., released a statement on Twitter while Franklin spoke to the media.
"The pain of not playing the game I love hurts," Brown said. "I can't explain how I am feeling right now. However, I can walk away from the game, knowing I gave it my all."
According to the American Heart Association, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy "is associated with thickening of the heart muscle ... which leads to stiffening of the walls of the heart and abnormal aortic and mitral heart valve function, both of which may impede normal blood flow out of the heart."
The Nittany Lions were vague about Brown's situation until Wednesday's emotional press conference. Less than a week before the season opener against Indiana, the team released its statement saying Brown possibly wouldn't play this season. The running back room went from strength to question mark when Noah Cain was injured in the first quarter during the loss against the Hoosiers.
Devyn Ford is the featured back until Cain returns, if he does. Freshmen Caziah Holmes and Keyvone Lee have also seen carries. But the Nittany Lions haven't found an answer to replace Brown or Cain. Quarterback Sean Clifford leads the team in rushing with 388 yards and two touchdowns.
Brown wanted to book his ticket for the NFL by building on his team-leading 890 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2019. His last game was incredible. He had 202 rushing yards against Memphis in the Cotton Bowl last season, setting a Nittany Lion record for a postseason contest.
Brown was supposed to help the Nittany Lions compete for a conference title. He was supposed to up his draft status. But 2020 is a terrible year. Neither will happen.
Brown has to pick up the pieces, and so do his teammates.
"You never know when you will play your last snap," Brown's statement read. "I know I left it all out there and have no regrets, other than wishing I could step on the field one final time."
"Journey is one of the most popular and respected players on our team," Franklin said. "The entire organization is rallied behind Journey and his family."
