Arizona offensive lineman Jacob Reece has been diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that has sidelined the freshman from participating in spring drills.
Reece tweeted Friday that he is uncertain whether he will play able to play football again. The Utah native committed to the Wildcats in December and arrived to campus in March, but has been unable to participate in any workouts.
“When I arrived it in Tucson it was found out during my physical that I have a heart murmur,” Reece said. “After multiple EKG’s (electrocardiograms), Echo tests, talking to a geneticist, wearing a heart monitor for a week and an MRI, it’s been concluded I have HCM.”
HCM is a condition in which the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick, making it harder to pump blood.
Reece said he found out his diagnosis on March 16, a day before his birthday. Doctors told him he could not be physically active for the next 3-6 months.
Since then, Reece said he has visited other doctors who, he wrote, “have seen that I am at a lower risk of having heart troubles while being physically active.”
Reece recently did a test to measure is heartbeat while jogging.
“Our hope is after the results from my tests, my parents, the doctors and myself will make the decision on me playing football again,” Reece said.
