Saints' Jimmy Graham Taken Into Custody After Scary Medical Episode
Jimmy Graham likely had a seizure, according to Saints team doctors.
New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham was arrested on Friday night on suspicion of being under the influence of narcotics and obstructing a police officer, according to ESPN. The incident happened in Newport Beach, California, and the Saints team doctors beleive that Graham had a seizure that resulted in him being disoriented. According to TMZ Sports, Graham was found wandering in traffic when police responded on Friday night.
"New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham experienced a medical episode last evening, which resulted in him becoming disoriented," the team said in a statement Saturday. "He was taken into custody by local authorities and transported to a local hospital for evaluation for what Dr. John Amoss believes to be a likely seizure and spent the night under medical supervision and testing. Amoss [team doctor for the Saints] met Graham at the hospital and is overseeing his care at this time. He was released this morning and is with the team as they continue preparations for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers."
The Saints were in California for their preseason game against the Chargers. Graham did not play in Sunday's game, with head coach Dennis Allen saying after the team that "he's healthy, he'll have some more testing to go on, but look, he's a little shook up, but overall, he's doing OK."
Graham signed with the Saints in July after being out of football for the 2022 season. He was selected by the Saints in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft after playing college football at Miami. Following the 2014 season, Graham was traded to the Seattle Seahawks and was there for three seasons. In 2018, Graham signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Packers. He was cut by the team following the 2019 season and signed with the Chicago Bears in March 2020. In his career, Graham has been selected to the Pro Bowl five times and the All-Pro Team twice.
"I've been trying to come home for a long time," Graham told reporters last month. "Last year, I had some conversations and determined that I really didn't want to play anywhere else. I had a couple of teams that were reaching out, and I just couldn't see myself wearing another jersey again. I just wanted, hopefully, if there was ever an opportunity to come back home, to make it happen here. And it did, and I'm here now."