Former NFL QB Archie Roberts
Heart surgeon Archie Roberts was speaking on cardiac disease to a group of doctors in 1997 when he felt numbness in his right arm and suddenly stumbled over his words in mid-dissertation.
The man who had saved lives with his expertise in cardiology was having a stroke because he didn’t follow his own advice and, as a former NFL quarterback, didn’t think it could happen to him.
It did. In short order, Roberts, 55 years old and 22 pounds over his playing weight of 193, was admitted to Bayshore (N.J.) Hospital with his life-threatening condition. When he recovered months later, his career as a surgeon was over – after performing more than 5,000 open-heart surgeries – but he quickly immersed himself in a related field. He founded the Living Heart Foundation and devoted himself to helping other retired NFL players avoid the mistakes he had made.
“I was lucky,” he said last week. “I could’ve died. God gave me a second chance. It was a life-changing event.”
Life-changing for him and others. Since then, Roberts, 66, has worked tirelessly administering cardiac screenings around the country for retired players, first with his own foundation and more recently as part of the NFL’s subcommittee on cardiovascular health. Read More
