The Sports Xchange

Wide receiver Bud Sasser, a sixth-round draft pick of the St. Louis Rams, reportedly will be waived due to a heart condition.

The Rams signed Sasser this week in order to pay him his $113,737 bonus, but they plan to waive him due to the non-football illness (NFI), ESPN.com reported Thursday. He is expected to then be placed on the Rams’ reserve NFI list.

Sasser, who played at Missouri, is the second player in two years to have his career ended by a heart defect discovered after he had been drafted.

The Seattle Seahawks drafted Marshall offensive lineman Garrett Scott in the sixth round in 2014, then discovered his heart condition. They ended up placing him on the NFI list after signing him and paying him a $101,672 bonus.

Neither Sasser nor Scott was invited to the NFL scouting combine, where prospects undergo extensive physical examinations. Thus, both players’ medical conditions went undiscovered until they were in their drafted teams’ facilities getting full checkups before signing.

Sasser has sought other medical opinions but has not found a doctor who would clear him to play.