Blake Back with TCU

[District303aPastPlayer]

TCU senior defensive end Tommy Blake has returned to practice, a sign of normalcy in what has been a sad saga.
Tommy Blake

Tommy Blake has spent most of the 2007 season on unspecified medical leave.

Blake, a preseason All-American after making All-Mountain West Conference the past two seasons, has spent most of this season on unspecified medical leave. Friends quoted in The Dallas Morning News earlier this month indicated the issues related to stress. Blake missed the opener against Baylor, came back for three games, in which he made a total of 11 tackles, and hasn't played again.

Blake watched the Horned Frogs lose to Utah 27-20 Thursday night from the sideline. He wore his No. 97 jersey, a pair of dark slacks and a towel around his neck. No pads, no helmet, no sacks.

While it would be unfair and incorrect to stay that Blake's disappearance has been the cause for the Horned Frogs' 4-4 record, it is fair to say that the team has struggled as he has. TCU already has lost one more game this season than it did in the previous two.

Since the Utah loss, Blake has practiced Sunday night and Tuesday, participating in all drills at full speed.

"We're going to try to get him back in shape and get him back into the mix," TCU coach Gary Patterson said, "so he can help us win the last four ballgames. … It will be good for the team. More important, it will be good for him."

Patterson, cautious about saying too much about Blake, said the subject makes people "uneasy."

"It's something that a lot of people don't know how to deal with," Patterson said. "In the old days, when a kid was acting up, he's a bad kid. Now we recognize what problems they have and that there are solutions. There are ways to help them."

Patterson sounds as if his eyes have been opened by what happened to Blake. The coach remains convinced, even if football has any role in Blake's problems, that it can help lead him to wellness.

"Athletics is one of the best [vehicles] for being able to teach people about life," Patterson said. "There are a lot of good teachers out there that care. Sometimes, in today's society, they are a little strained in how to help kids. A lot of people out there are trying."

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/notebook?page=iform078&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab4pos1

[crzyjournalist03]

I know that it's really none of the general populace's business, but I really get the feeling that this situation would be a whole lot easier if Blake and/or the team would just come out and say what's bothering Blake.

[District303aPastPlayer]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03
I know that it's really none of the general populace's business, but I really get the feeling that this situation would be a whole lot easier if Blake and/or the team would just come out and say what's bothering Blake.

From the rumblings I've heard... Football isn't in his future... and thats big... so yeah...

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by District303aPastPlayer
From the rumblings I've heard... Football isn't in his future... and thats big... so yeah...

from an inside source who is pretty close to the situation, the best I can gather is that there's a medical condition either with him or with his family that pretty much devestated him. I'm leaning more toward the idea that it's him with the condition, because it would seem to me that an NFL contract would help his loved ones immensely and help them get the best medical care possible. It's definitely a sad situation, because coming into this season, some people pegged him for a top 15 pick in the draft.

[Old Tiger]

The best medicine goes to people that are paid. So it's definately something with him.

[District303aPastPlayer]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03
from an inside source who is pretty close to the situation, the best I can gather is that there's a medical condition either with him or with his family that pretty much devestated him. I'm leaning more toward the idea that it's him with the condition, because it would seem to me that an NFL contract would help his loved ones immensely and help them get the best medical care possible. It's definitely a sad situation, because coming into this season, some people pegged him for a top 15 pick in the draft.

hmm... i think i might see his uncle/peewee coach this weekend, i'll talk to him about it... but yeah, sad situation all around...

[AP Panther Fan]

well it has been a pretty well kept secret...I believe that Tommy's Grandmother (the woman that raised him) has cancer, but I don't know if that along with numerous other things are the source of his problems.

Whatever the case may be, I wish him the best.

[big daddy russ]

Good to hear he's back with the team. I'm not a personal friend of Tommy's, just an acquaintance who got to spend a lot of time with him a few years back, but I'd have that kid's back seven days a week and twice on Sunday. One of the most grounded and well-mannered kids I've ever met.

I wish everyone on the Downlow could get to know him. A goofball, a class act, and one of those kids that really did try to make everyone feel included-- whether he was mingling with the "socialites" of Aransas Pass or hanging out with the loners who spent most of their time playing Dungeons and Dragons and avoiding social circles. Tommy really does have heart for others.

I've got him in my sig for a reason, and it has more to do with the person he is than the football player he is. That's why I've pulled for him this long and that's why I'll continue to do so.

[Macarthur]

I've been told from a very reliable source that it's not a family deal. It's an issue with Tommy himself.

[pirate4state]

I wish him all the best and hope whatever the problem is he can over come it!