Cleveland Browns GM Tom Heckert has heart surgery, still on call to attend NFL Scouting Combine-NFL News
A couple of days after the Cleveland Browns excused themselves from disclosing the nature of so called serious operation of general manager, Tom Heckert, it is said to be a heart procedure.
Browns’ president, Mike Holmgren, while confirming the surgery said that the official was recovering well and will most likely remain a part of their draft plans.
The president said of Heckert that:
He "will be an integral part of the draft process."
Holmgren denied that the GM had suffered a heart attack and said the official had gone to the hospital for a regular check-up as he was not feeling well and was diagnosed with the blockage in the heart.
The manager is expected back at Browns’ facility in Cleveland by Tuesday, February 28, 2012.
Heckert was due at the ongoing National Football League (NFL) Scouting Combine in Indianapolis sometime this week, but was met with the setback just before departing to assess the potential draft picks participating in the Combine.
Browns’ president has now confirmed that the official will remain on the call to view the prospective draft prizes at the Combine and contribute towards the final selection and hiring process when the actual draft season starts in April.
The official is reported to have been given the task of exploring opportunities around the prospective hiring of a new draft quarterback, who could also be the Baylor’s QB, Robert Lee Griffin III.
It is not clear if the team is looking for a new player for the starting role or will he be kept at some position behind Colt McCoy, the Browns regular quarterback.
Besides nurturing the ambitions of a new quarterback, the team coach, Pat Shurmur, has backed McCoy to utilise the offseason to improve his form.
McCoy, who at the moment is recovering from a head injury that he had suffered into week 14 of the 2011 NFL regular season, will continue his third year with the Browns this season.
The player was taken on board as a draft pick by Browns in 2010.
Now, the team management wants him to prove that he has progressed to be a better player when he returns for the next NFL season later this year.
McCoy had made headlines over controversial handling of his concussion by Browns and there were lingering doubts if he would be able to fully recover from it and return to the side.
The team officials, however, have confirmed the ongoing recovery of the player to be well on the target and they expect him back sometime during the preseason or regular season.
By then he might have another partner awaiting him if the team succeeds in bringing in a new QB.
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