Vikings linebacker Cameron Smith said Saturday that COVID-19 screening may have saved his life.
Smith, a 2019 fifth-round draft pick out of USC, said he’ll need open heart surgery to address a condition discovered after he tested positive and underwent additional cardiac screening. He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on July 29 and will not play this season.
“Earlier this week, I found out I need open heart surgery to fix a bicuspid aortic valve that I was born with,” Smith posted on his Instagram account. “Although this will unfortunately end my 2020 season, it is really a blessing that we found this as my heart is severely enlarged and wouldn’t have lasted much longer.