There was a lot of trumped up controversy when the Eagles players elected Michael Vick as their recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award in 2009. This season that's not going to be the case. Mike Patterson, who might represent the spirit of the award better than any player in recent memory has been voted as the Eagles winner this year.
The Ed Block courage award "honors those National Football League players who exemplify commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage." The Eagles sent out a release recapping what has happened to him this season
During a training-camp practice on August 3, Patterson suffered a seizure and was taken to the hospital. He was later diagnosed with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) on his brain - a tangle of blood vessels. He visited with four different doctors who specialize in AVM cases and also visited with a seizure specialist. All of the doctors cleared him to return to football, which he did just 17 days after his seizure, deciding to delay any procedures to fix the AVM until after the season.
Patterson will have to have a procedure to fix the tangle of blood vessels. If he would have had it back in training camp, it may have cost him the season. Instead, he's put it off until the offseason and started all 14 games this year.