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Meet the Stanford product who wants to be a trauma surgeon after playing in the NFL
Joshua Garnett listened intently when his dad -- a guy who spent four seasons in the NFL -- told him to have a back-up plan beyond football.
Scott Garnett had thrown the 'You could walk outside and get hit by a bus -- BOOM! -- football's over. Then, what are ya gonna do?' scenario at his kid. His son worked very hard to make sure he had a pretty solid Plan B. "I'm going to Stanford and am gonna be a biology major and become a doctor."
More specifically, the younger Garnett's plan is to become a trauma surgeon. He first became intrigued by watching the series "Untold Stories of the E.R." on the Discovery Channel and "Grey's Anatomy." Garnett just hopes that comes after playing about 15 years in the NFL.
Don't bet against him.
In 2015, Joshua Garnett became the first Stanford player to win the Outland Trophy for the nation's top interior offensive lineman and became just the school's ninth unanimous All-American. The 6-5, 321-pounder also was a team captain. In 2012, Garnett became the first true freshman to start on the O-line in a dozen years. In his college career, he helped the Cardinal win two Rose Bowls, and in a few weeks he's projected to become a first-round pick.
He's done a stint shadowing staff in an ER, further fueling his interest, during which he says he got a better sense of the adrenaline and the way an emergency department works together.
"I'm drawn to help someone that could be on the brink of death," Garnett said. "I'm a guy who can handle the gore and I feel like I have the aptitude where I can make a difference for people."
Majoring in human biology while also playing big-time football isn't easy, but Garnett said that's why he chose to go to Stanford. He has two quarters left to finish before getting his degree, he said.
As for any concerns about mangling his hands in football and what that could mean for his future as a surgeon, he admitted there are worries about that, "but if it happens, it happens. I'm gonna throw these hands as many times as powerful as I can. If they get messed up, I'll figure out a way around it."
