Silver liners can emerge from even the most unfortunate circumstances.
In the case of Vikings linebacker Cameron Smith, that may well be the case, as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has served as a backdrop that has brought a very serious heart problem to the fore.
Smith tested positive for COVID-19 and further testing revealed he needed open heart surgery.
“He’s a great kid. It’s disappointing for him. But honestly it’s probably a blessing for him,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Friday. via the team’s Twitter account. “He’s going to be able to live a normal life and eventually play football.”
Smith also called the circumstances a “blessing” when he announced his news on Instagram on August 8.
If Smith hadn’t tested positive for the new coronavirus, anyone could guess when or if his need to repair a bicuspid aortic valve he was born with would have been discovered. He doesn’t think he would have, which he told reporters on Friday.
“Yeah, the way it looks now, I would never have known about it – or as soon as I do now – without having been tested for COVID and tested positive within that time frame,” said Smith, via the Craig Peters team website. “I feel like it’s a blessing in a way that I tested positive, and the other tests to make sure I was okay saved my life. It’s an interesting feeling, but I feel like it’s a blessing in disguise, and there’s a lot of good that comes with it. “
Currently, Smith is on the team’s reserve / non-football injury list as the Vikings have waived him so he can be moved from the active roster and back to the NFI roster as he prepares for the operation.
Smith, 23, is a USC product the Vikings selected in the fifth round of the 2019 Draft. He appeared in five games in his rookie season, spending time on special teams and linebacker with eight total tackles.
