Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1505736
6 2 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M A head of the 2023 NFL season, for- mer Penn State receiver KJ Ham- ler has experienced another health setback. Working his way back from a torn ACL and pulled hamstring, injuries that hindered him the past two seasons, Hamler revealed in July that he's dealing with pericarditis and would be stepping away from football temporarily. Hamler, who starred for the Nittany Lions during the 2018 and '19 seasons, shared the news in an Instagram post. He explained that he began experienc- ing chest pains while working out prior to the start of training camp with the Denver Broncos, describing his con- dition as "a mild heart irritation" and vowing to return as quickly as possible. "I've got a great treatment plan with medicine and am taking a quick break to get this all taken care of so I can get back to doing what I love," Hamler wrote. "I will be back on the field — better and stronger than ever — as soon as possible this season! I feel great physically, and this is very frustrating for me to deal with." Following his diagnosis, the Broncos waived Hamler with a non-football ill- ness designation. As the No. 46 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, he got off to a promising start, totaling 30 catches for 381 yards and 3 touchdowns for Den- ver in his rookie season. But his second season was cut short by an ACL tear in Week 3. While he was able to return last fall, he ended up catching just 7 passes for 165 yards due to persistent hamstring problems. This past March, he suffered a torn pectoral muscle during offseason training. Through it all, Hamler has remained optimistic. He sat out his first year at Penn State while recovering from a knee injury he suffered as a senior at IMG Academy in Florida, and yet he went on to earn All-Big Ten honors in both of his active seasons with the Nittany Lions. Hamler finished his brief college career ranked 16th in school history with 1,658 receiving yards. Now, he said, he's ready to bounce back again. "Adversity is nothing new to me," he noted. "I have been through hell and back, but it's hard to reach paradise if Hamler has caught 42 passes for 620 yards and 3 touchdowns in his three NFL seasons, all with Denver. He's played in only 10 games the past two years because of injuries. PHOTO COURTESY DENVER BRONCOS KJ Hamler Vows To Return From Heart Ailment NAT E BA U E R | N AT E . B AU E R @ O N 3 . C O M PSU IN THE PROS