Heart contidition forces Joubert to retire
STILLWATER — The first sign came in early June during routine physical examinations for Oklahoma State football players.
Tests revealed that senior Cowboy back Larry Joubert had an enlarged heart muscle.
A second opinion from a medical specialist unaffiliated with the school confirmed the diagnosis.
Nearly two months of thought and sadness and hoping for the best came to its breaking point Monday night when Joubert announced on Twitter t hat he would be retiring from football.
“As it makes me sad to make this post I am no longer able to play the sport that I love to play due to a heart condition that came up recently,” Joubert wrote. “I'm still in a healthy condition but it's too dangerous to continue to play football at the level I am at.”
He's the second OSU player to retire over the summer because of a medical issue. Receiver Tr ac in Wallace announced his retirement last month after tearing the ACL in his left knee for the third time.
Joubert has been around football his whole life, alongside his father, Larry Joubert Sr., who has been a high school coach for several years.
Joubert Jr. played for his father when he worked as an assistant at Douglass High School.
For all the sadness the Joubert family felt over the last several weeks, there was also a sense of relief that the heart issue was discovered before anything catastrophic occurred.
“We've seen how things are happening right now with kids,” J oubert Sr. told The Oklahoman on Tuesday .“It' s been a little bit difficult for him and our family, but we've talked about how God has a bigger plan for him.
“He understands that it's all about living a long life and being a productive citizen. He's going to support his team. He's very humbled to have been in this position and have the opportunity to play at Oklahoma State University.”
Joubert Jr., entering his third season at Oklahoma State after two years at Northeastern Oklahoma A& M, was particularly excited about the coming season. A career offensive lineman, Joubert Jr. had been moved to Cowboy back, a tight end/fullback hybrid position.
OSU had graduated two of the Cowboy backs used primarily as blockers — Britton Abbott and Sione Fine f eu iak i—and felt that was a need Joubert Jr. could fill. He made the move last winter and went through spring practice at the new position, working to slim down his 285pound frame.
The news that came after the June physical was painful for someone who had played football since he was 7 years old.
“This is all he's ever known,” Joubert Sr. said. “He was so excited about this season and helping the team in anyway he can. But we knew this is what was best f or him, and he'll be fine moving forward.
“As parents, my wife and I are just grateful that the university did everything they did to detect it at this stage, because it could have been something where he was in practice or a game or whatever and something else would have happened.
“We' re grateful for them being able to detect it and doing what they were supposed to do as a program in making sure he was taken care of.”
Going forward, Joubert Jr. will have to monitor his blood pressure. He can still exercise, but nothing that will stress his heart the way college football workouts do, particularly those in August heat.
He's studying health promotion and is on track to graduate from OSU in the coming school year, so he'll remain around the team this fall in a student assistant-type role.
“It's hard to talk about something you're going to lose forever because this was my last year of eligibility, also my first love in athletics,” Joubert Jr. wrote on Twitter. “I will continue to support my brothers on the field and off the field and will be thankful for the opportunity of a lifetime of playing at this level and for this school.”