STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Penn State running back Journey Brown says he has a heart condition that is forcing him to give up football.
Brown posted Wednesday night on Twitter that he has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a disease that causes heart muscle to become abnormally thick and can make it more difficult to pump blood.
Penn State coach James Franklin told reporters Brown’s condition was not COVID-19 related, but it was discovered in September during “a routine COVID test.” “It’s heartbreaking,” Franklin told reporters.
Neither Penn State nor Brown have indicated whether he tested positive for COVID-19, but the Big Ten requires cardiac screening and testing of those athletes who do before they can return to competition.Brown was Penn State’s.