Syracuse's Howard Washington Reveals He Suffered Stroke Before Season

Washington, who was recovering from a torn ACL, suffered a stroke on Sept. 26.

Syracuse sophomore guard Howard Washington revealed that he suffered a stroke on Sept. 26 in a story published by Syracuse.com on Tuesday morning.

Washington, who had missed a significant portion of his freshman season after tearing his ACL, said that he suffered the stroke following a chemistry class.

"It felt like a movie," Washington said. "It felt like I was watching a movie, but I was the movie. I’m grasping to my life."

After being helped by a pair of classmates, Washington managed to contact team trainer Mike Pike. Washington was taken to Crouse Hospital, where he underwent a procedure to remove two clots in the artery leading to the left side of his brain.

"The doctor found the clot, opened the claw and then pulled the clot out," Washington said. "I could feel the tug when they pulled the clot. I could actually feel the tugging inside my head. It was crazy."

Washington was put on blood-thinners, then was permitted to practice a few weeks after the incident. Thirty-three days later, he played in Syracuse's first game of the season against Eastern Washington. He appeared in three total games this year before ultimately deciding to take a medical redshirt this year following the stroke.

"I think it says how fortunate I was and how much I love basketball," Washington said.

"I’m blessed to be where I’m at today," he added. "The stroke was a scary thing to have happen, but I was very fortunate in everything else that happened around me."