Minnesota Vikings linebacker Cam Smith is in “good shape” after heart surgery.
There was good news for the Minnesota Vikings and linebacker Cam Smith on Tuesday as head coach Mike Zimmer announced a successful surgery.
The second-year linebacker underwent open-heart surgery to correct a congenital heart defect on Monday.
“He’s in good shape,” Zimmer told reporters during a conference call.
A positive for COVID-19 test tipped Cam Smith and the Vikings off to a heart problem.
“Surgery was a success! I’m feeling good and ready to start this journey back on the field,” Smith wrote on Instagram along with a photo from his hospital room.
Concerns over heart problems and the coronavirus are prevalent enough for college football conferences to have shut down their fall seasons, but for Smith the heart problem was preexisting.
Without testing positive for COVID-19, and undergoing the necessary screenings as a result, he might not have discovered a potentially deadly concern. The bicuspid aortic valve with which he was born had severely enlarged his heart, becoming a ticking timebomb.
Open heart surgery was needed to fix the valve. Next, he will go through recovery for the surgery and, with any luck, continue on the path to return to the football field.
Since he announced his diagnosis, Smith has insisted he intends to continue his career. It won’t be an easy road.
He was a fifth-round pick by Minnesota in 2019, but he ended up on the practice squad. Eventually, he was activated and saw action in seven total games as a rookie, mostly on special teams. Five of those were in the regular season when he tallied eight tackles. He also played in two playoff games, but with limited special teams snaps.
With playing in 2020 out of the question, the Vikings have placed Smith on the reserve/non-football injury list. He’ll look to come back in 2021.
For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.