Scarbinsky: Courtney Taylor won't let MS slow him downBy Kevin Scarbinsky -- The Birmingham NewsFebruary 28, 2010, 5:30AMLike a lot of football players, Courtney Taylor is waiting for the phone to ring because, at the moment, he’s a man without a team.Auburn’s all-time leading receiver was one of the last players cut by the Seattle Seahawks on the eve of the 2009 season, and he didn’t catch on with any other organization during the season.He’s heard some good things lately. The Philadelphia Eagles might work him out, and the Cleveland Browns, too. Mike Holmgren, who picked him at Seattle in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft, is now the Cleveland president.Not that players like the 25-year-old Taylor can be choosers. The destination is less important than the opportunity."I gotta get back into it," he said. "I’m chomping at the bit right now."Taylor’s still living in Seattle, working out to be ready when the call comes. Oh, and once a month, he does something that sets him apart from other former and future NFL players.He travels to the University of Washington Medical Center for an intravenous infusion of a powerful medication called Tysabri. That’s how he fights his multiple sclerosis."The medication wore on my body at first, but once I got used to it, I felt like a brand-new man," he said. "The medication has it under control."The National Multiple Sclerosis Society describes MS as "a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves."MS is not contagious, and most people who have the disease "have a normal or near-normal life expectancy."Taylor was diagnosed with MS in the summer of 2008. The first sign was an eye twitch, which made it hard to track the ball, which made it hard to catch the ball, and if you know Taylor, you know catching the ball had never been a problem for him.Even though he played quarterback and cornerback at Carrollton High School, and it caught him by surprise when Auburn moved him to wideout, he still holds the school record with 153 career receptions.Taylor cemented his legacy as one of the most productive and popular players in Auburn history as a sophomore in 2004. He made the crucial fourth-down catch for a first down and the game-winning touchdown catch against defending BCS champion LSU to launch Auburn toward an undefeated season.Taylor can catch the ball with his eyes closed, so when the twitch became a problem, he and the Seattle coaches said, "This isn’t the same CT."He underwent numerous physical tests, including two spinal taps, before he was diagnosed with MS."They caught it really early," he said. "My doctor said I should live a normal life and not be affected at all."Taylor’s one of the most upbeat athletes you’ll ever meet. He wasn’t thrilled to be one of the final Seattle cuts last September, but he was glad that good friend, fellow receiver and former Auburn teammate Ben Obomanu got that spot.So it’s no surprise that Taylor sees the silver lining in what others would consider a dark cloud. He would’ve ignored that eye twitch if it hadn’t affected his pass catching."If not for football, they wouldn’t have caught it," he said. "It was a blessing in disguise."It’s also typical of Taylor that, until now, he’s kept his condition a secret from the general public."My family and close friends know," he said. "I didn’t want anyone to have sympathy for me. God has blessed me so much. This is just an obstacle I have to overcome in my life."Now he wants people to know that he’s the big-time receiver he was at Auburn, not the part-time receiver who caught five balls as a rookie in 2007 and, while adjusting to the medication, nine balls in 2008 with Seattle before getting cut in 2009."I did OK, but not to my standards," he said. "I can play this game at this level."He also wants to show people that you don’t have to be sidelined by an illness."At first, I was scared," he said. "I came through it. I’m healthy. It strengthened my faith."I want to put it out there that I have this. I want to show people that I’m not letting it slow me down. I’m going to be successful, and you can do the same."
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