First day of NFL Camp interesting for BC rookie

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BETHLEHEM, PA (NEWS1130) – Danny Watkins’ fire fighting skills came in handy at his first day of NFL training camp. The Kelowna offensive guard helped tend to teammate Mike Patterson, who suffered a seizure during practice.
 
The six-foot-one, 300-pound Eagles defensive tackle fell to the ground and started shaking violently during morning practice at the Philadelphia training camp at Lehigh University. The seizure lasted approximately four minutes and Patterson lost consciousness for a brief time.
 
Watkins is a trained firefighter.

“You see something like that and you automatically want to help the guy,’’ Watkins, told the Eagles website. “You want to help him even more because he’s your teammate. My thoughts and prayers are going to be with him tonight.’’

Patterson was tended to by trainer Rick Burkholder and his staff. Philly Coach Andy Reid said Watkins was eager to lend a hand.  

“He wanted to jump right in there. Rick was stabilizing him, and I kind of held him back just a little bit,” said Reid. “His first reaction was to dive in.”

“Then he came back in when we were trying to get [Patterson] on the spine board and helped out.”
 
Temperatures were in the mid-twenties when Patterson collapsed. He is being kept overnight in hospital and suffered a lacerated toungue.

It was the first day of NFL camp for Watkins. The 26-year-old out of Baylor had missed the first five days. The 23rd pick in the NFL draft, the six-foot-three, 310-pound Watkins agreed to a four-year contract worth almost $8 million on Monday.  
 

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