The San Francisco 49ers traded up into the first round to select Stanford guard Joshua Garnett, and they got a player who has the potential to be both a great offensive player, and a great mind off the field. Garnett is focused on the NFL, but he has plans for after his playing career finishes. He wants to be a doctor, and specifically a trauma surgeon in an emergency department.
The Stanford athletic department posted the video above, which featured Garnett and wide receiver Michael Rector. Both want to get into medicine, with Rector wanting to be a cardiovascular surgeon. The video features there work with Dr. Michael Longaker, who is director of Stanford's regenerative medicine program. The video shows them working with stem cells, and doing all sorts of things.
Earlier this month, Garnett did a Q&A on Twitter. I asked him if he had thought about attending medical school while still playing football. I don't know much about medical school, but Steve Young attended law school while playing football. Based on the little I know, it's probably not do-able, but I figured I would ask. He responded, saying it would definitely be after his playing career was over.