Armstead had heart issues and USC never cleared him...

For what it's worth, I asked my fiancée, who's actually a doctor at Cedars, about this. Keeping in mind that she's a Bruin, she immediately said that this was either QT syndrome or HOCM. Frankie Telfort had HOCM and never played again. Arik Armstead had a heart attack and never played again for USC, but did play in the CFL and for the Patriots. Apparently cardiac arrest like Vince had is different -- and in this case worse. She said she'd be shocked if he ever played again, but I guess we'll see. Maybe we can get her on the podcast LOL.

HOCM, for those nonmedical people who read this site stands for Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy and I believe that is what Hank Gathers suffered from. There is much that can be done to help such people live somewhat safely, but it often involves taking beta blockers and/or other medications such as calcium channel blockers and blood thinners that make performing at a top athletic level very difficult and at times, dangerous. Sometimes other involved medical procedures, all the way up to heart transplants are necessary.

QT syndrome is actually an electrical problem. It gets very complicated and the experts who often treat this type of issue are cardiologists and subspecialists often referred to as EP cardiologists, meaning electrophysiologists. The big problem is that all kinds of the QT syndromes, both long QT and short QT, have markedly increased risks for abnormal heart rhythms and ultimately, increased risk of sudden death.

As mentioned above, it is important to note that a "heart attack" and a cardiac arrest are not one in the same.

It could be QT syndrome or HOCM, most commonly seen in this age range. You can youtube HOCM videos, where these elite athletes push themselves so hard that they deprive their own myocardial muscle of oxygen and blood flow. They are running around one second, they stop, and they just collapse because their heart has stopped. Both these things would potentially be career enders, although not always (see the Denmark soccer player, collapsed on the field and needed CPR, but is now playing for Manchester United).

It could also be an ingestion, which in the grand scheme of things, would actually be the best for him and his professional career, since it would likely be temporary and could be resolved.

It's hard to speculate about these things, he's still a kid. I still hope he puts on a jersey, he is perhaps the most important person in this class. At the most objective level, he's the highest ranked. But his life and health should come first, at the end of the day, this is still just a game.