Eagle's defensive tackle Mike Patterson as he is put into an ambulance after he had a seizure. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) — Eagles defensive tackle Mike Patterson was alert, stable and joking at a hospital after suffering a seizure at training camp at Lehigh University, trainer Rick Burkholder said Wednesday.
Patterson dropped to the ground between plays during a morning practice, and the player began violently shaking. He was immediately tended to by Burkholder and his staff, with assistance from rookie offensive lineman Danny Watkins, a trained firefighter.
Burkholder said the 6-foot-1, 300-pound Patterson was undergoing further tests at Lehigh Valley Hospital.
"He's absolutely alert, stable, totally communicating with everybody, even joking a little bit," Burkholder said. "We won't speculate what happened to him, other than he had a seizure. It could be anything. We don't even want to speculate what might have happened."
Patterson's agent JR Ricket said in a statement that the player is "in no pain and doing well."
"We are very grateful for everyone's prayers and support," he added. "Mike will be back at practice as soon as the doctors clear him."
Burkholder said the seizure lasted about four minutes, and that Patterson lost consciousness at one point as he was on the ground.
As players kneeled nearby, holding hands and praying, an ambulance arrived and Patterson was placed on a stretcher and lifted into the ambulance.
The linemen resumed practice after about 15 minutes. The skill position players did 7-on-7 drills on another field while Patterson was down.
"We were all on edge a little bit and Rick just kind of calmed the situation down," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "One thing I think he did a phenomenal job with was evaluating it, evaluating the situation in a calm way."
It was a cool day at camp. Temperatures were in the high 70s when the players took the field for their morning session.
Patterson, 28, was the Eagles' first-round pick out of USC in 2005. He's started 84 games and played in 95, the most of anybody on the current roster.
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