What's Going on With Brandon Brooks?
Yesterday, Brandon Brooks missed his second game in three weeks due to hospitalization. He’s dealing on and off with what the Eagles are calling an “illness” and nothing more descriptive. “It was a game-day illness,” Doug Pederson said. “Something we just have to follow up with.” But this isn’t the first time Brooks has had this issue.
Last year, when Brooks was with the Texans, he missed their week 12 matchup against the Bills when right before the game he was scratched. He “experienced extreme nausea and sweating prior to kickoff” and spent the night in the hospital. In 2014, the same thing happened. Brooks missed a game as a late scratch with stomach issues, which turned into something bigger:
Brooks was out with a mysterious and sudden illness and spent a full day in the hospital while right tackle Derek Newton shifted inside to guard and reserve tackle Tyson Clabo took over at right tackle against one of the league’s most fierce pass rushes.
Brooks thought he had a stomach virus. It wasn’t pleasant, but it seemed temporary. He later learned it wasn’t.
“Turns out I had an ulcer,” Brooks said. “I didn’t know about it. Luckily, they found it this time with the same symptoms I had last time. I knew it was something serious so I wanted to get it checked out. Not to get too much into detail, but they went in with cameras and found it and gave me some medicine, so I’m good to go.”
The ulcer is now gone. To avoid such problems in the future, Brooks has changed his eating habits. He’s cut out sodas, junk foods and greasy foods. He added more greens to his diet and baked chicken and fish.
I don’t know if Brooks has ulcers again, but whatever it is keeps happening right before games. And that’s a problem. With all the help the Eagles need on the offensive line (and they need all the Wentz protection they can get), maybe strap a puke bucket to his facemask, hook him up to an IV on the sideline, and send him out there. Can’t be that much worse.