Updated: High School Football Player Weighs 600 Pounds

The regular high school football season might be over, but we're going to introduce you to a player at Hall High School in Little Rock, and tell you about his unique struggle. His teammates don't even know his real name, they only know him as Heavy or Heavy D. But maybe not for much longer.

His real name is Deddrick McElroy but no body knows that. That's because he's been called the nickname 'Heavy' since he was six.

At football games the cheerleaders have a personalized cheer for him and they make a special sign for him. He stands at just over six feet and he weighs nearly 600 pounds at 16 years old.

He wears a size 3X jersey, but it was too small, so the school's Home Economic teacher tacked some practice jerseys to the bottom of it.

Wearing number 77, Heavy is in charge of tackling for the team.

Travis Mann, head football coach says, "No one's gonna move him. The space he occupies, you're not gonna run the football right there, that's a given."

McElroy says, "When you do something on the field, its' helping everybody; it's not so much me. It?s what I?m doing for the team like when I stop somebody on third and short." Because of his size, doctors have warned the coach to be careful with him. Coach Mann doesn't even require Heavy to join each huddle because getting there could put too much stress on his body.

Mann says, "When we call a time out or change a period or they're moving the football Heavy moves with the football so he's ready for the next snap right there. We don't waste energy coming 53 yards in one direction and 53 yards in another direction."

Next year, though, could be another story. Heavy recently went to a seminar for stomach lap band surgery and looks forward to getting the procedure before next football season.

But doctors say not all weight loss surgeries are good for teens.

Dr. Karen Young at Children?s Hospital says, "A lot of people think it's easier for children, but in a lot of ways it's harder because they keep getting taller and their bodies are telling them to gain weight so it's not any easier for children than adults."

Heavy says he doesn't have any other medical problems related to his weight; his blood pressure is fine, his blood sugar is fine, so doctors aren't in a hurry to operate; but Heavy is.

McElroy says, "Hopefully I'll be faster, that's the only thing I?m missing. I?ll be unstoppable then." Heavy's mom recently had gastric by-pass surgery. She lost more than 100 pounds. Heavy says she has a lot more energy than before. He looks forward to being the same way. He wants to lose as much weight as he can.