From NFL Surgeon to Country Doctor
Love Lures Physician To Va. Horse Country

By Kendra Marr
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 9, 2008

Middleburg orthopedic surgeon Andrew Bishop is running a "high-tech, country practice."

Or at least he hopes to. It has been a little less than a month since this former Atlanta Falcons team doctor opened Middleburg Orthopedics. His state-of-the-art portable X-ray machine arrived just last week. And every other week, he's flying back to Atlanta to see his former patients.

How did Bishop, 52, end up in the middle of horse country?

Love. Two and a half years ago, Bishop began dating a local gal, Jane Ware of Middleburg, with whom he went to high school in Georgia. Ware has her own connection to the sporting world as a former member of the U.S. equestrian team.

"When we finally decided to get married, one of us had to move or we would have to keep commuting," said Bishop, who married Ware in April.

Bishop spent the past 20 years practicing in Atlanta.

"Oh my God, I have no idea how many patients I had," Bishop said in his Southern drawl. "Thousands? Tens of thousands? I was a busy guy."

For 12 of those years, he treated football breaks, tears and sprains, including Michael Vick's fractured right fibula in 2003, just after the former National Football League quarterback ran for 777 yards and eight touchdowns in his first full pro season as a starter, the third-highest rushing total by a quarterback in NFL history.

Today, Bishop works in a small two-room office.

The decor is a flashback to another era: plaid carpet, upholstered chairs, a Norman Rockwell poster. All of the furniture, including the examination table, is crafted out of dark, aged hardwood. One of the very first electrocardiogram machines, which belonged to his cardiologist father, is proudly displayed in the entrance. Yellowed photographs on the walls show his grandfather graduating from medical school and visiting patients on horseback.

There's not a scrap of vinyl or stainless steel in sight.

Here Bishop has been treating everything from arthritis to injuries from falling off a trampoline. For surgery, he'll be operating on his patients at Reston Hospital Center or Inova Fairfax Hospital.

He said he enjoys his new low-key life. The NFL had jaded him. In the increasingly competitive health-care market, hospitals and medical practices began bidding to pay professional teams millions annually for the exclusive right to care for their famous players. After the Falcons signed their own deal in 2004, Bishop quit, saying the agreement compromised physicians.

"High school soccer, football, lacrosse -- those are a lot more fun than the pros," he said. "There's a pureness of heart. They play the sport because they love the sport."

His ties to the NFL's stars remain strong, however. A few days ago, newly signed Tennessee Titan tight end Alge Crumpler gave him a call, asking him to take a look at his knee.