This Story Of Justin Fields’ First Encounter With Epilepsy Is Terrifying

People searched for reasons why Justin Fields fell in the 2021 NFL draft. After a stellar career at Ohio State, it felt like a foregone conclusion he’d be the second quarterback taken after Trevor Lawrence. Then he watched Zach Wilson and Trey Lance go ahead of him, ultimately falling to 11th overall. The explanations offered included his lack of proficiency as a pocket passer. There were baffling allegations of a poor work ethic. Eventually, it was brought to light that he also suffered from epilepsy. It’s possible that the diagnosis scared teams away, uncertain if it would impact his career.

For those who don’t know, epilepsy results from abnormal brain activity. It causes surges of electrical activity in your brain that can cause recurring seizures. Fields spent the first 14 years of his life perfectly healthy. His football career was starting to blossom as he progressed through high school. Then the moment happened. Fields spoke to ESPN reporter Courtney Cronin about the event that changed his life.

Be warned. The details are surprisingly graphic and shocking.

Justin Fields regained consciousness in the back of the ambulance with no recollection of what had happened. All he remembered from that morning in ninth grade was feeling “a little bit off” as he headed to Harrison High School in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Sitting in health class, Fields said he zoned out a handful of times. He would later learn he had a seizure and lost consciousness…

…”I THINK THEY tried to get all the kids out of the class when I was having it,” Fields said of his first seizure. “They said I was foaming at the mouth and stuff like that.”

After a round of testing, including a CT scan and electroencephalogram, where electrodes were placed onto Fields’ scalp to record the electrical activity of his brain, doctors determined he had epilepsy.

Justin Fields admitted to feeling fear at the time.

While the diagnosis itself was terrifying, he was deathly afraid of what the condition might do to his football career. Fields loved the sport so much and had plans to continue playing in college. No program would risk a scholarship on a guy with a crippling brain disorder. Thankfully the doctors eased his concerns. Medication could control the condition, and there was a possibility it would fade as he grew older. That is what happened with his mother, Gina Tobey, who also had epilepsy as a teenager. Her symptoms faded around 19 years old.

It’s safe to say the condition didn’t slow Justin Fields down. He dominated for the rest of high school and ended up with a scholarship to Georgia. He transferred after a year to Ohio State and became an instant sensation. Now he’s an emerging star with the Chicago Bears. There hasn’t been a single incident involving his epilepsy since he officially became a Bear. Other teams are probably kicking themselves for overthinking their pre-draft evaluations of him. Too little, too late.