Russell Okung opens up about his frightening medical scare
The Los Angeles Chargers announced this week that Russell Okung could miss all of training camp as he deals with a serious medical issue, and the veteran offensive lineman shared more details about the situation on Thursday.
In a statement he issued on Twitter, Okung revealed that he suffered a pulmonary embolism last month that was caused by blood clots. The issue was discovered after he went to urgent care because of chest pains, and he says doctors told him the decision may have saved his life.
Statement on Reported Injury Status pic.twitter.com/MjV52jqESL
— Russell Okung (@RussellOkung) July 25, 2019
Fortunately, Okung says he is now “feeling great physically.” He called the condition “very treatable” and said he has every intention of returning to play for the Chargers as soon as he gets clearance from doctors, though it is unclear when that might be.
Okung is entering the third season of a four-year deal with the Chargers. He has played in 15 regular season games each of the last two years and is set to make $13.4 million this season. Rookie Trey Pipkins worked at left tackle during minicamp and could get some more looks there while Okung is out.
