Blue White Illustrated

LAST WORD D A V I D E C K E R T | D A V I D E C K E R T 9 8 @ G M A I L . C O M ust over a year ago, Penn State fans thought they had learned who Jour- ney Brown was – and, even more important, what he could become. In a thrilling Cotton Bowl showdown between Penn State and Memphis, Brown was the best player on the field. He scored the game's first touchdown by simply refusing to go down despite the best efforts of multiple Tigers de- fenders. As he crossed into the end zone, ESPN play-by-play man Mark Jones exclaimed, "What a Journey!" Brown wasn't done. He showcased his track-star speed as he broke off a 56- yard touchdown run in the second quarter. By the time the final whistle had blown, Brown had obliterated the Memphis defense for 202 yards on just 16 carries. With five 100-yard perform- ances in the final six games of the 2019 season, Brown – a player who earned only three stars from each of the major recruiting services in high school – seemed like the next big thing. What has transpired since then has taught us more about Journey Brown than any football game possibly could. The 2020 season that seemed like it could catapult Brown into the same conversation as some of the other out- standing running backs Penn State has produced recently like Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders never began for the junior running back. Brown was diagnosed with a medical condition called hypertrophic car- diomyopathy — loosely defined as a thickening of the heart muscle that im- pacts its ability to pump blood correctly. It was revealed before the season by Penn State coach James Franklin that Brown would not be available for the Nittany Lions, and the cold fact that Brown would never play football again was later acknowledged on his social media accounts. Brown recently made his first true public appearance since the announce- ment, speaking with Mitch Gerber of GoPSUSports.com about his emotions surrounding the unfortunate circum- stances. When Brown first received the news at a Harrisburg hospital, he said he tore off the heart monitors that had been at- tached to him and stormed out of the room, unable to wrap his mind around what he'd been told. A follow-up trip to the Cleveland Clinic didn't yield any better news, and Brown was left to grapple with his new reality. "I just didn't know how to handle that situation, because they told me I was done," he said. "But I was like, there's no way. I've been working for this my whole life, so for them to tell me I'm done, I was like, there's no shot. "I know I'm more than a football player, but this is what I felt like I was made for." The future in football that Brown had chased for his entire life – one that was almost within his grasp after his electric finish to the 2019 season – was ripped away. For Penn State fans, the abruptness of it all made it difficult to grasp. Brown hadn't been on the receiving end of a devastating blow from an opposing player. He hadn't stepped awkwardly and torn up his knee. He'd walked into a doctor's office. We won't ever know how the 2020 season might have played out for Brown, whether he would have lived up to the standard he had set the previous season or perhaps even surpassed it. But Brown said it himself – he's more than a football player. There is more that Penn State fans can get behind other than what he did between the lines on fall Saturdays. And, judging by the grace with which Brown spoke about his misfortune, and his future, the odds are good that whatever he does will be worth supporting. Brown isn't quite sure what that will be yet. He said he loves life – and any- one who's had the pleasure of interact- ing with him can certainly confirm that. He always wears a smile, and he's got the kind of unassuming charisma that can take a person far in life. "I'm trying to find what Journey Brown likes to do other than playing football," he said. "I love life in general, but what does that look like for me? "I'm actually excited to see what comes next for myself. Now that foot- ball isn't in the picture, I can take all the energy in my life and put it toward whatever I need to do. For whatever comes next, and for whatever I choose to do, whatever seems most attractive to me. Whether it's in coaching, or if it's in my major [recreation park and tourism management], they just better be ready for 100 percent effort, and a goofy, cool-cat guy." Those are admirable words from a man who just had his dream ripped from him a few months ago, who had to go back to square one just when it looked as though he had gotten his big break. But Brown knows what it means to build something from the ground up, to overcome a challenge. His football ca- reer might have come to an end, but what comes next is just beginning. What a journey, indeed. ■ More than a football player J

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