Penn State Football: Nana Asiedu forced to retire from college football

Penn State football lost one member of their 2018 squad before he ever stepped on the field. Linebacker Nana Asiedu will retire for medical reasons.

The world of college football may not be a safe place, but the players that choose to take that risk can get a free education and a chance to play for the pros if they are good enough.

Nana Asiedu was looking forward to joining the team at Penn State in the fall. Fate had other plans. The incoming freshman offensive tackle had to go through the standard round of medical testing this spring. After a series of tests, doctors ascertained that Asiedu had a nasty version of a medical condition known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

The disease is so serious that it causes the ventricles of the heart to thicken. This means that the condition can change or even block blood flow. This causes arrythmia and high blood pressure. It can lead to sudden cardiac arrest in athletes, particularly when the heart is under stress like it would be in athletes.

Penn State head coach James Franklin met with Asiedu and his family in Virginia to break the news that Nana couldn’t play football for the Nittany Lions in the fall. Despite his disappointment, Asiedu took the news in stride.

Penn State may have a tough time filling Asiedu’s (massive) shoes–Asiedu was a 6-foot-5, 265-pound behemoth lineman who was rated as the No. 98 overall recruit, according to 247Sports.

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In a classy move, the Penn State administrators are letting Asiedu keep his scholarship. While he won’t be suiting up on Saturdays to join the team on the field, he still gets to participate and get a great education, to boot.