There will be a lot of familiar faces getting together when Wake Forest travels to Nashville to face Vanderbilt this weekend. None will be a more welcomed site for Demon Deacons fans than at quarterback as starter Sam Hartman returns for Wake Forest.
The official announcement was made just prior to Dave Clawson taking the podium for his weekly press conference, (although ESPN’s Pete Thamel got someone on the inside at Wake Forest to leak it to him 20 minutes earlier than that). Hartman received medical clearance Sunday and has been officially practicing for the last couple of days. Although Clawson admitted he has been on the field throwing since well before then. He is expected to get the start against the Commodores Saturday afternoon.
Sam Hartman Returns For Wake Forest
Clawson also thanked the medical team from the trainer to the team doctors. Based on what is known about Hartman’s medical condition timing of care was everything. He underwent vascular surgery on August 9th for the removal of a blood clot. Hartman had felt particularly weak after a workout that day. He summoned trainer Niles Fleet. He was concerned enough to immediately gather the athletic department medical staff, who determined he needed to go to Wake Forest Baptist Hospital post haste.
Hartman returned to practice the following day in street clothes. His left arm was in a cast all the way up to his shoulder. The story was embargoed by Wake Forest until they released an opaque statement later that morning, even as what had happened to him was obvious. According to medical specialists, we spoke to who had not examined Hartman specifically, if it had been a major coronary event, he would not have been released from the hospital so quickly. The cast on the left arm was a clear indicator of emergency vascular surgery.
In a statement released by the school today, it was specified that the blood clot “was in the subclavian vein.” That is the major vein of the arm, shoulder, and neck. According to the medical report, Hartman’s condition is called Pagett-Shroetter Syndrome. The National Institute of Health reports that the syndrome is rare. Its published National Library of Medicine says the cases are usually caused by a previous infection in that area of the system coupled with repeated compression of the vein from vigorous activity.
Hartman has a history of bacterial infection in his shoulder. A birth defect in his thyroid gland caused a buildup of bacteria necessitating surgery prior to his senior season in high school.
A Medical Decision To Return
Clawson emphasized that the clearance to play was a medical, and not a football decision. He also opted not to discuss the specifics of the medical issue. “I’m going to stay in my lane,” Clawson said Tuesday. “There’s words in the diagnosis I’m not sure I’m going to pronounce correctly, so I’d rather not go there.” Clawson said there will be a time when Hartman will be ready to discuss the details of what happened.
Clawson said the team was excited to have Hartman back officially practicing but that it was about more than football. “When this whole thing happened, football is the last thing on your mind,” he said. “We just wanted him to be healthy. He called Hartman one of the best leaders they have had at Wake Forest. “I think the reaction was excitement, more so for Sam because they know how important it is to him. When this happened to Sam, I lost sleep that night, because of my concern for Sam, not because I was worried that we were not going to be fine at quarterback.”
The Mitch Griffis Game
Mitch Griffis was 21 of 29 for 288 yards and three touchdowns in the blowout win over VMI in the season opener Thursday. We talked to Griffis on August 11th, the day after the team was told about Hartman’s surgery. He said then that it was still Hartman’s team. “My job and my goal is that when he’s ready, give him the keys back, ready to play in Charlotte, (for the conference championship game).”
Clawson said he had been kept in the loop about the process and tests that Hartman had been going through during his recovery. He said he left it at that. “You stay out of it as a coach. I’m not a doctor. I don’t understand everything that happened and what was done. It was explained to me kind of so a football coach could understand it.”
He also said he spoke to Griffis one-on-one when he got the news about Hartman’s return. He talked to Griffis before he told the rest of the team.“I said, ‘It looks like Sam is going to be cleared. But you need to stay ready. And I’ll just tell you as the head coach, I thought you did a great job. We are fully confident in you. That’s not just coach speak. What you did kept a lot of our season alive.’ He did a great job and I think our future at quarterback is very bright.”
Next
Center Michael Jurgens said there was a big eruption within the team when the announcement was made that Hartman would be returning this week. He said it was as much about Hartman being healthy and how much work he put into coming back as it was about who was quarterbacking the team.
Saturday in Nashville Clawson will be having a reunion with his former linebacker coach. Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea worked with Clawson at Bowling Green, (2012), and at Wake Forest, (2016). There will be more on that in our game preview later this week. But clearly, the reunion that will be on everyone’s mind, from Clawson to Lea’s Vanderbilt defense, is the reunion of Hartman with his Demon Deacons offense.
