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Wichita State denies D.J. Bowles medical clearance due to cardiac condition

D.J. Bowles

With doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota implanting a implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in Wichita State freshman guard D.J. Bowles’ heart last week, the conversation transitioned to when he’d be back to full strength and whether or not he would be able to return to the basketball court. On Friday afternoon Wichita State announced that they’ve denied Bowles medical clearance, but the school will honor his scholarship for all four years.

“Our main concern is the health and well-being of D.J. for the rest of his life,” Wichita State director of athletics Eric Sexton said in the release. “He is an outstanding young man from a great family who has had a very traumatic 17 days. We hope that he will stay and complete his education at Wichita State, and have extended the commitment to honor his scholarship to he and his family.”

Bowles collapsed in practice on September 3, and local doctors were unable to pinpoint the reason for his collapse. From Wichita, Bowles went to the Mayo Clinic for more tests and ultimately the implanting of the ICD. To say the least the situation is a difficult one for all involved (most importantly Bowles), with the young man’s playing career at Wichita State coming to an end before it even began.

Bowles’ situation brings back memories of what Emmanuel Negedu went through in the spring of 2010, when the University of Tennessee denied him medical clearance after he suffered sudden cardiac arrest during a preseason workout in September 2009. A month after that decision was made Negedu was off to New Mexico, where he played in ten games during the 2010-11 season. Negedu was pulled from a game against The Citadel due to his internal defibrillator issued a reading that resulted in team trainers pulling him off the court, and sadly that was the last action he’d see as a Lobo.

Will Bowles attempt to take a path similar to that of Negedu? That remains to be seen, and one can only imagine the heartbreaking feeling that comes with having your career end prematurely due to a medical issue. But while it would be great to see Bowles back on the court at some point, his health is what truly matters.

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