Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 12, 1994 TAG: 9408120076
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Thomas, a 6-foot-2 1/2, 275-pound defensive tackle from Petersburg, would have begun the season contending for playing time at Virginia Tech. Instead, he decided a heart condition diagnosed as paroxysmal atrial tachycardia - a sudden, temporary irregular heartbeat - will end his college career.
Duane Lagan, Tech's team doctor, said he told Thomas the condition wasn't life-threatening, but Lagan said he could tell the episodes of weakness and dizziness ``frighten'' the 20-year-old redshirt sophomore. Thomas acknowledged he thought about the sudden deaths of basketball players Reggie Lewis (1993) and Hank Gathers (1990), both of whom had heart problems that were different from his problem.
Lewis, a Boston Celtics star, died in July 1993 during a light workout. The Celtics' team doctor had diagnosed him with career-ending and life-threatening cardiac abnormalities, but Lewis got a second opinion that said he had a ``fainting condition'' that would allow him to play if properly medicated and supervised.
Lewis' death certificate indicated heart damage from a viral infection made him vulnerable to the irregular heart rhythms that killed him. That finding apparently supported the original diagnosis.
Gathers collapsed during a Loyola Marymount game in March 1990. His death was attributed to a diseased heart; he was taking medication to control an irregular heartbeat.
``That did have a lot to do with it - guys just falling out and dying,'' Thomas said Thursday. ``I considered that a lot. [Lagan] did explain that it's not life-threatening. [But] in my mind, there's really no way of knowing. The heart ... it's no everyday thing.''
Thomas first developed symptoms in the fall of 1993 and underwent several tests, Lagan said, to determine what was wrong. Thomas played in one varsity game and on Tech's junior varsity team.
The condition became a problem this summer, Thomas said, including one day late in July when he almost passed out during conditioning drills. That was what drove him back to Lagan, he said.
Lagan said the condition's cause is unknown and the main treatment is rest, which can be difficult in the middle of a game or practice. Thomas said the symptoms last from 15 minutes to two hours.
``I knew I wasn't out of shape; my wind was fine,'' Thomas said. ``I can feel it - it's just like it [the heart] beats real hard, skips three or four beats, beats hard.''
Thomas will remain at Tech, studying for a career in property management or real estate, and he will remain on scholarship. Frank Beamer, the Hokies' coach, said Thomas will apply for a medical hardship ruling that would allow Tech not to count Thomas' scholarship against its NCAA limit of 85 for football.
Thomas was the Southside District's defensive player of the year as a senior at Matoaca High School in 1991, making 108 tackles for a team that posted seven shutouts. He was a third-string defensive tackle entering the season at Tech.
``I talked to my family and everything, and they were behind me,'' Thomas said. ``[They said] if I felt I couldn't continue to [play] or I was scared, I should do what's best for me.
``I feel at peace with the decision I made. I just ... I feel empty inside, not being able to play ball this year. I do think about it every day, if I made the right decision. But if something were to happen to me, there would be no way of going back.''
by CNB