Panthers offensive tackle Taylor Moton began “thinking the worst” when he coughed up blood in June and a trip to the hospital showed that he had “a multitude of clots” in his right lung.
Moton was put on a course of blood thinners for three months and he was prohibited from playing football during that time, so he has been on the non-football injury list since the start of training camp. Moton completed that treatment and has been told by doctors that he has a “relatively low” chance of dealing with more blood clots in the future, which has opened the door to a return to the field.
Moton’s first step was returning to practice on Tuesday and he broke the team down at the end of the workout. His message was one of thanks for being able to resume his career and continue living his life.
“My message today was, guys, just have an attitude of gratitude,” Moton said, via the team’s website. “Coach [Dave] Canales spoke on that too, man, and that’s just not taking it for granted, you know what I mean? And along with that is just making sure we come in here and you come to work, you do everything the right way, right? You put 100 percent effort and all your preparation, and that’s not just in the building; that’s out of the building with watching film, how you hydrate with your nutrition, with your treatment routine, whatever that is, sticking with that plan, man. And ultimately just that that’s how you show gratitude for this because you never know when that day comes. Honestly, it gave me more gratitude for life in general. Like football, yeah. But just past that, just now I wake up with a new sense of happy to be able to put my feet on this side of the Earth.”
Moton doesn’t know if he will be playing against the Eagles this week, but having the chance to play again at any point is a win after a summer of uncertainty on all fronts.