Rolle back in action

Ravens cornerback Samari Rolle has restructured his contract and is cleared to play for the 2008 season.
 
Rolle missed 10 games in 2007 because of seizures from epilepsy, as doctors worked to find the right medication to control them.
 
But Rolle says he has a clean bill of health, and his contract has been restructured around his playing time and conditions related to epilepsy. Rolle has three years remaining on his deal.

He was diagnosed with epilepsy, a neurological disorder that results in seizures when the brain fires electrical impulses at four or more times the normal rate. Nearly 3 million people in the United States have epilepsy, including All-Pro guard Alan Faneca, who recently signed with the New York Jets.

 
Rolle would have three seizures, the last one coming days before the Ravens played at Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football. It was Rolle's effort to get back on the field that inspired his teammates to vote him as the Ravens' Ed Block Courage Award winner this year.

 
Rolle will be honored at the annual dinner tonight at Martin's West.

 
In the company of former Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett, who was paralyzed making a special teams tackle last season but has since recovered to walk, as well as O.J. Brigance, the Ravens' director of player development diagnosed last year with Lou Gehrig's disease, Rolle feels slightly uncomfortable for receiving an award because he has epilepsy.

 
"To show what they have gone through and what they have battled through, to me that's really indicative of what the award should be about," Rolle said while sitting outside his South Florida home one afternoon last month. "At the same time, I appreciate receiving it because it makes me know that my teammates respect me a whole lot for the effort I tried to put in last year."

 
Early symptoms

Having educated himself about epilepsy, Rolle now knows he had shown symptoms for nearly two years.

 
He also understands that his status as a professional athlete gives him a certain responsibility for helping others similarly afflicted. Rolle said his foundation will start working with organizations concerned with epilepsy.

 
Among the letters, cards and e-mails offering support, it was a T-shirt sent to Rolle that has made the biggest impact on the former Pro Bowl player. He hung it in his locker at the team's training complex in Owings Mills.

 
It reads: "Don't discriminate against people with epilepsy."

 
Said Danisha Rolle: "So many fans have written in to say, 'I have epilepsy and to hear your story has been tremendous. Thank you so much for coming out,' because there are people who have epilepsy that just don't want to say it. There's a stigma still."

 
Rolle's willingness to make his battle public is a much different stance from when it first occurred. The team announced Rolle was out because of an undisclosed "medical condition." While it took more than two months for Rolle to speak publicly about his condition, he quietly told a couple of reporters off the record that he had suffered a seizure.