Beyond the Field: Logan Brown’s Secret Weapon? Fighting Type 1 Diabetes Made Him Tougher!

Logan Brown is aware of the shame.

The 6 feet 6 inches, 311-pound offensive lineman for the Vikings knows he needs to be careful, get the right help, and be focused every day if he wants to reach his goals.

Brown said, “I wasn’t always consistent.” “All through college and high school, I had to learn how to handle it and take responsibility for it.” That being said, I’ve made it this far despite some tough times, so I hope I can keep going and be an inspiration to younger players.

A few NFL players have been able to control their type 1 diabetes while playing football, and Brown wants to join them.

Brown signed with Minnesota in May as a free agent from the University of Kansas who wasn’t picked in the draft. It’s been half of his 24 years with a diagnosis that is pretty scary but not hard to deal with. He’s had to deal with this responsibility his whole sports career. It’s a pretty common condition that people have a terrible time understanding.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases says that between 5 and 10 percent of people with diabetes have type 1. This is an autoimmune disorder in which the body doesn’t make insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar levels. As of the 2021 census, about 1.7 million people in the U.S. aged 20 and up had type 1 diabetes and were taking insulin to help their condition.

Brown wouldn’t be the first person with his background to play in the NFL, but it might help get rid of the stigma surrounding the issue and inspire people to follow their dreams without any worries.

A survey by the global research and support charity Breakthrough T1D found that 46% of people with type 1 diabetes had heard people say they were lazy or inactive because they had the disease. Unbelievable as it may seem, a few more of the responders were told they couldn’t be active.

Baltimore Ravens tight end in the Pro Bowl Mark Andrews is live proof that it’s not true. The team’s all-time leader in receiving scores by a tight end is the league’s unofficial poster boy for doing well despite his problems. He’s also not the only player who’s on. Noah Gray of the Chiefs has type 1 diabetes and has won two Super Bowls. Chad Muma, the Jaguars’ third-round pick in 2022, feels the same way.

Brown’s long-term illness requires him to be strong every day. If you’re a Vikings fan who wants to get a fixed seat at the table, this makes him someone to root for. Of course, that’s a very big goal.

Brown talked to Vikings.com while getting ready for Minnesota’s rookie minicamp in early May. He talked about his Midwest roots and how he got into baseball, as well as the setbacks he’s faced along the way and his “why.”

“I’ve always wanted to play in the NFL since I was a young boy,” he said. “My dad always talked about it, but life is different when you live it.” So, being able to get here has been a great experience. I think it’s time for me to stay here and maybe make a good living while I’m here.

He said that he was a “big one-day-at-a-time kind of guy.” As with every other former college player who gets an NFL chance, his main goal right now is the same: “To work my butt off to make the 53-man active roster and hopefully just be a contributor to the organization,” he said.

It’s funny that Brown isn’t your average UDFA.

This is a shortened resume: According to Pro Football Focus, Brown didn’t give up a single sack in four college seasons and 409 pass-block sets, and in his one full season as a starter, he gave up just six pressures overall. He was invited to the prestigious Senior Bowl, where he said he got a great sense of what the next level could be like. He aced the on-field portion of the NFL Scouting Combine, recording the fifth-best “athleticism score” among 2025 tackles with a 5.18-second 40-yard dash, 32-inch vertical jump, and 26 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press. NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein predicted that he would be picked in the third or fourth round.

So, what’s going on?

It could be the competitive sample, which isn’t very big. Brown went to Wisconsin for his first four years and mostly played as a backup, though he did start a few games in 2022. He moved to Kansas in 2023 and played in a few games off the bench to start the season. But he hurt his lower leg and had to miss the rest of the season.

Brown thought, “I had an interesting journey.” “I think telling myself my why kept me going.

He said, “I learned that I do it for me because your family will love you no matter what you do.” He said this with strong confidence. “I think I had to really understand that I appear every day because I choose to do so.” I’m the one who really loves the game, and at the end of the day, we players are the ones who put in all the work. Although we have a lot of great people helping us, I’m still the one who has to show up and do it.