Seahawks waive OT Garrett Scott after discovering rare heart condition

The Seahawks have waived Garrett Scott, their sixth round pick from this year's Draft, after discovering a rare heart condition that evidently went undiagnosed in pre-Draft medical evals. The Seahawks decided to sign Scott to a rookie contract yesterday despite the failed physical, so he'll receive his signing bonus (~$100k) then potentially revert to the injured reserve if he clears waivers, which would mean he'd earn around $300k more for the rest of the year. Obviously, this was a very classy move by the team.

Seahawks' GM John Schneider issued a statement:

"After undergoing an extensive physical with our medical staff last week, Garrett's examination revealed a rare heart condition that will prevent him from any on-field participation in the near future. We think highly of Garrett as a person., and as a football player. The team is committed to supporting Garrett in the months to come and will continue to help him determine his next steps."

Scott, a tackle out of Marshall, was slated to be a part of the competition at both left and right tackle for the Seahawks this year, and is known for his elite athleticism. Obviously this is terrible news for the rookie, who projected to have a bright future in Seattle's zone-blocking system. Schneider's statement does leave a little room for something down the road, but that seems unlikely given the circumstances.

From a business perspective, this highlights why teams do such thorough medical evaluations at the Combine and prior to the Draft, and how there can be pitfalls to that when you are dealing with non-Combine invites.