Ex-Oakland Raiders linebacker Neiron Ball in medically induced coma after ruptured brain aneurysm
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former Oakland Raiders linebacker Neiron Ball was placed in a medically induced coma after suffering a brain aneurysm. (Getty Images)
The Oakland Raiders are asking for "prayers" as former linebacker Neiron Ball recovers from a ruptured brain aneurysm. The star was placed in a medically induced coma after the Sept. 16 incident.
Ball, 26, was diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation when he was a student at the University of Florida, ESPN reported. The rare condition “is a tangle of abnormal blood vessels connecting arteries and veins in the brain,” according to the Mayo Clinic. The cause of AVM is unknown.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ball underwent surgery after a brain bleed was discovered by physicians. He had to sit out the 2011 season in college. He returned to the field the next year and made his first career college sack in 2013 against Jameis Winston, who now plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Aneurysm and AVM Foundation said it believed Ball's AVM was "obliterated," but realized that wasn't the case after his family revealed to them his aneurysm "burst."
"His family asks for continued prayers," the organization tweeted.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Raiders also asked fans to support Ball's family during this difficult time.
“The Raiders ask that Neiron Ball and his family are kept in the thoughts...of the Raider Nation during this difficult time," the Raiders wrote in a Tuesday tweet, which revealed Ball's current condition.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ball was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft. He played six games in 2015 before he injured his knee. He was cut by the team in 2016 after training camp.