Diabetes hasn’t slowed Als’ Paxson
College star derailed by assault charge
It wasn’t the two-a-day workouts that got to Scott Paxson last week upon his arrival. He has attended enough NFL training camps to get accustomed to the routine.
But the Alouettes go backto-back, meaning players often are on the field for four hours, with a 15-minute respite between sessions. That span’s important for Paxson, diagnosed as suffering from Type 1 diabetes at age 15.
“Routine is really good for diabetics. When we have the same day scheduled, it’s real good for us. You have meals planned,” said Paxson, a 30-year-old defensive-tackle from Philadelphia. “This is new to me, being on the field for four hours. I’ve never done that in my life.
“I was trying to run in (during intermission) and nibble on something. Snacks ... oranges, half bananas. That’s good, but sometimes I want a little more of a carb that will stabilize the blood-sugar a little better and use it for energy.”
There had been warning signs as a teenager that something wasn’t right with Paxson. A freshman in high school at the time, he collapsed before a game. Like any diabetic, he has had to learn to balance his bloodsugar levels.
With Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas can’t produce its own insulin. A person requires regular injections of insulin to function throughout the day and must eat regularly to keep the blood-sugar levels in balance.
It hasn’t prevented Paxson, 6-foot-4 and 292 pounds, from thriving as an athlete. “It can be difficult at times,” he acknowledged. “Everyone’s got to play with the cards they’ve been dealt.”
Paxson played collegiately at Penn State, earning first-team all-Big 10 honours in 2005. Signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent the following year, Paxson remains convinced he would have been drafted were it not for a charge of assault in December 2004, the player accused of forcing himself on a female student. A more serious charge of sexual assault was thrown out, the district attorney’s office choosing not to lay charges.
Paxson believes his stock as a prospect for the 2006 NFL draft plummeted.
“Definitely, things would have turned out differently,” he said. “My path would have been extremely different. I believe, with the bottom of my heart, I would have been drafted.”
Paxson, who majored in crime, law and justice, was released an incredible six times by the Steelers over four years. During that span, he dressed for one game, in 2008, against Jacksonville. He also spent several weeks with Green Bay in ’06.
If things didn’t exactly go according to plan, Paxson also received a Super Bowl ring while a member of the Steelers, a team renowned for its defence. And he got to be coached by legendary Pittsburgh defensive co-ordinator Dick LeBeau.
“I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. You could see I can play here,” Paxson said. “There was a place for me in football. “That keeps you going.” Signed to a future/reserve contract by the Cleveland Browns in January 2011, Paxson cracked the active roster, playing in all 16 regular-season games. He recorded 21 tackles, one quarterback sack and recovered a fumble.
That sack, it turns out, became almost legendary.
In a Dec. 8 game against the Steelers, his former team, Paxson dove into Ben Roethlisberger’s legs as defensive-tackle Brian Schaefering wrapped the quarterback up around the waist. Roethilisberger suffered a high ankle sprain. He was hobbled the rest of the season and through the playoffs, the Steelers’ season derailed.
Paxson has acknowledged the hit was low, but not illegal.
“He came out of the pocket,” Paxson explained. “Ben may not look quick, but he is. He comes out of the pocket and is like a running-back. He looked like he might tuck the ball. I didn’t want him to get away. It wasn’t nothing dirty. There was a blocker almost on me. I was trying to get the guy down.
“I felt good,” he admitted. “Remember, that was the first sack of my career. Getting it against a team you played for, who you’ve seen yourself maybe being a part of — they didn’t — yeah, it felt great.”
Paxson tore the medial collateral ligament in his right knee last August in an exhibition game against Detroit. A month later, he and the Browns reached an injury settlement.
And now, he has ventured north. The Als have had Paxson on their negotiation list, off and on, since 2007, according to general manager Jim Popp. It was simply a matter of convincing the player the fit was good, and that wasn’t going to occur until Paxson exhausted all NFL avenues.
Paxson will remind Als fans of Ed Philion and Eric Wilson, interior linemen who play hard, love the game and relish the pursuit of quarterbacks.
“I’ve been after him for quite a long time because I think he’s the perfect interior guy,” Popp said. “He’s a hard worker, has a short area of quickness and is a real effort guy who stays after people. We feel he fits well into our locker room.”