Vinny Curry was trying to chase his five-year-old son when he felt some discomfort in his side.
Even with nine years in the NFL under his belt, and over 120 career games banging pads on the gridiron, the pain wasn’t like any he had felt before.
“It felt like a cramp,” Curry told reporters on Tuesday. “And I was like ‘Damn, I don’t think that was a cramp.’”
Doctors asked him about the pain, and Curry got a sense they knew what he was dealing with just from those initial assessments. In July of 2022, shortly after signing with Gang Green, team doctors told him he had a rare blood disorder that required his spleen to be removed.
“You love the game so much, but in the blink of an eye, this could've taken me away from my babies,” Curry said. “It was the scariest thing. But I knew I had to be there for them. So what did I learn about myself? Perseverance.”
Curry tried to get ready to take the field last season, but blood clots began to form and he was forced to sit out the entire season. The Jets signed him again last month, giving him another chance to resume his NFL career, and ending a year of struggle, perseverance, and at times, intense boredom as Curry was forced to watch the NFL season unfold from afar.
“I probably rearranged and did construction in my house like no other,” Curry laughed. “I even planted a rose garden at my house…that’s the part that really messes with you mentally. You know you’re supposed to be out there, and at the end of the day, it’s like ‘Damn, I can’t wait to be out there.’ That motivated me to persevere and be in front of you guys today.”
Curry’s family, friends, and teammates helped him get through the inaction, including old teammates from the Eagles, Buccaneers, and supporters from across the NFL.
“The support, this whole entire building, any teammate I ever came across hit me up,” Curry said. “I really felt the support.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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