For eight weeks, Samari Rolle kept his condition a secret.
"I didn't know if I could play, if I would be all right or anything," the Ravens veteran cornerback said. "It was very scary."
But yesterday Rolle disclosed that he has epilepsy, a neurological condition that affects the nervous system and can cause seizures. He decided to publicly talk about his epilepsy "because it's under control now. Right now, I'm not scared."
He has had three seizures this season, which have kept him out of six games.
"I feel very good, more so emotionally," said Rolle, who returned to practice yesterday and is expected to play Sunday. "I've heard all kind of rumors of what I had. It's been hard on my wife and my family. I'm just happy to be back playing."
Other professional athletes have played with epilepsy, including Pittsburgh offensive lineman Alan Faneca, who was diagnosed with the disorder when he was 15. He's been an All-Pro guard for the Steelers.
Rolle, 31, said he has had three major seizures this season, although he now believes he has suffered minor ones for about two years. The seizures in epilepsy might be related to a brain injury or a family tendency, but most of the time the cause is unknown.
Along with the seizures, Rolle suffered such aftereffects as headaches and memory loss, all of which caused him to wonder if his 10-year playing career was over.
Neither Rolle nor the Ravens would disclose his illness over the past two months because Rolle wanted to keep it a private matter. A Ravens spokesman said the team doctors wouldn't comment on his condition or any restrictions during the game.
Epileptic seizures happen when too many electrical impulses fire at once and overwhelm the brain, said Kimberli Meadows, a spokeswoman for the Epilepsy Foundation.
"The concern for Samari would be the brain being knocked around, anything that could startle the brain," she said.
But Meadows noted that Faneca and numerous high school athletes play with epilepsy.
An epileptic patient should consult closely with his doctor and understand the particulars of his condition but need not avoid an active life, she said.
Meadows said epilepsy awareness and research efforts benefit greatly when a prominent person such as Rolle acknowledges having the condition.
"It's something that's been feared traditionally, so it is a tremendous help when we see a person who's impacted who is in the spotlight," she said. "When someone like Samari says I have epilepsy but it's not who I am, it does wonders for us."
