NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans Saints leading receiver Chris Olave had to be hospitalized for treatment of blood clot in his lung, a person with knowledge of his health situation told The Associated Press.
The person spoke with the AP on Thursday on condition of anonymity because it’s a health matter.
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Olave is expected to miss the club’s regular-season finale at Atlanta on Sunday. The game is meaningless for the Saints and Falcons. However, if the Buccaneers beat the Panthers on Saturday, they would need New Orleans to beat or tie Atlanta to win the NFC South.
“He obviously is navigating that with our medical staff,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said after Thursday’s practice without getting into specifics about the receiver’s diagnosis. “Fortunate for Chris they were able to get ahead of this and identify something and make the necessary steps to build a plan moving forward.”
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Olave caught eight passes for 119 yards and a touchdown in a victory last week at Tennessee, and has had the best season of his career.
Olave’s 100 receptions for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns are all career highs.
His success also has come one year after head injuries sidelined him for the last half of last season.
Olave has played in 16 games this season and as of earlier this week appeared on track to play 17 games in a season for the first time in his career. But he missed practice on Wednesday with what the team listed as an “illness.”
On Thursday, the severity of his ailment became more clear.
Still, he posted an upbeat message on social media from his hospital bed.
“Thank you God for everything!,” Olave wrote. “Life is full of unexpected twists and turns and I’m grateful to experience it.”
AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed.