The Saints were dealt a big blow today as defensive tackle Nick Fairley has been ruled out for the 2017 season with an enlarged heart. Here’s the report on Fairley from the AP earlier on Monday.
Saints defensive tackle Nick Fairley is coming off one of his best NFL seasons and it might have been his last.
At the very least, he won’t be playing for New Orleans in 2017.
General manager Mickey Loomis said Monday that Fairley has been placed on the team’s reserve list with a non-football illness designation, meaning the 2016 starter is out for this season.
The 6-foot-4, 308-pound Fairley had a career-best 6½ sacks for the Saints last season, after which he signed a four-year extension worth up to $28 million.
However, symptoms related to an enlarged heart caused Fairley to miss offseason practices and minicamp while he saw specialists to determine whether playing football would be an undue health risk.
If you are aware that a player has a heart condition, it seems that you would have them take a cardio physical BEFORE signing them to a new four year contract.
This was not fair to Nick Fairly, the Saints team or their fans…
FAIRLEY —— Good thing I pay attention and catch early…