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Fighting back Trojans CB working hard to overcome a host of illnesses
USC cornerback Antuan Simmons suffered a slight hyperextension of his right elbow in spring practice the other day. From where Simmons has been, this is about as worrisome as a paper cut. In the last 17 months, Simmons has undergone back surgery, had a tumor removed from his stomach, beaten pneumonia and had a hernia repaired. If hospitals had a Frequent Surgery Club, Simmons would have earned a free appendectomy. You think a little elbow pain is going to slow him down? The Simmons who sat in Heritage Hall on Monday and calmly related his hard-earned knowledge of modern medicine looks the part of a defensive back. He has regained the 40 pounds he lost off his 5-foot-10, 190-pound frame. He is ready to be a cornerback, although even he was taken by surprise on March 29, when the Trojans' training staff gave him the go-ahead to participate in tackling drills with the wide receivers. "I didn't really want to do it," Simmons said. "One of the DBs in front of me got run over. On my turn, it wasn't one of the best tackles I ever made. I gave him a pop and got him to the ground." Simmons has made plenty of good tackles in his USC career. A freshman All-America as a linebacker and safety in 1997 and an All-Pac-10 second-teamer as a corner in 1998, Simmons had established himself as a player with professional potential by November 1999. In three seasons he had made 175 tackles, intercepted seven passes and blocked six kicks. The week before the annual UCLA game, however, Simmons suffered a herniated disk in his lower back. Surgery ended his season. Rehabilitation kept him out of spring practice a year ago. Last May, when Simmons underwent an MRI to check his progress, doctors discovered his back was fine but his stomach wasn't. They saw a growth where there shouldn't have been one. Simmons underwent surgery on May 15 and doctors immediately determined the tumor was benign. But instead of the positive diagnosis ending Simmons' home version of ER, it was only the beginning. "I was only supposed to be in the hospital four or five days," he said. "I ended up being there six weeks. I almost passed away a few times. "First," he continued, "I couldn't digest any food. I had a blockage in my intestine. Then I developed a big blood clot in my stomach. Then my lungs filled up with fluid. Then a lot of fluid gathered around my heart. When I laid on my back, I couldn't breathe." Eventually, doctors removed a liter of fluid from around Simmons' heart. That brought to a close the life-threatening portion of his illnesses. While the doctors took out the tumor, however, they noticed that he had a hernia. Last November, when Simmons had regained enough strength for another surgery, he went under the knife again. In January he re-entered the weight room. Though he once benchpressed 385 pounds, the team record at his position, Simmons could barely lift one-third of that weight. "The younger guys saw my name on the wall and said, 'Was that you?,'" Simmons said, smiling. "I'm benching 300 now. I'm getting there. I've got to get to 350 pounds before [August] camp. It's a mental thing." The physical changes to his body can be undone. The emotional changes will live on. Simmons says he understands now that there's life beyond the sidelines. He harps on so much about getting an education that the younger cornerbacks have changed his name to "Shut-The-Hell-Up-Antuan." "I'm going to make sure I get my degree," the sociology major said. "I tell the younger guys, 'Go to class and get your degree.' They don't believe it's me talking. I wasn't that way before. I was just football. Forget class. Class wasn't one of my main priorities." It is way too soon to determine where Simmons falls on the Trojans' depth chart. One measure of how much the USC defense missed him last year is that it intercepted only seven passes, 14 fewer than in 1999 and the lowest total in 43 seasons. New coach Pete Carroll expressed amazement that Simmons is even participating in spring ball. "He's well ahead of where we thought he would be," Carroll said. "We didn't think he would do much of anything." Carroll meant on the field. Off the field, Simmons already has done remarkable things. Sports Illustrated senior writer Ivan Maisel covers college football for the magazine and is a frequent contributor to CNNSI.com.
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