Ambry Thomas didn't know what was wrong with him in early June — only that it was something pretty serious. His insides were flaring up and he couldn't get comfortable, prompting a trip to the doctor's office.
That led to a quick hospitalization, one that would last several weeks. He lost 35 pounds and passed the time watching football on his iPad to prepare for the season, even when the doctors diagnosed him with colitis and he lost 35 pounds in less than a month.
RELATED
Updates On Every Former Michigan Wolverine In The NFL: Week Two
Commit Tracker: How Michigan Pledges Performed Over The Weekend
Get a free 60-day trial to TheWolverine.com with promo code Blue60
"The only thing that was on my mind was football,” Thomas admitted. “I was like, ‘I’m probably going to have to sit out this year.’ I was kind of depressed about everything, just wanted to get my health back and right.”
He tried to remain upbeat. Inside, though, it was eating him up. Doctors told him his chances of playing at all this season were slim to none. He felt like it was him against the world when they provided their expertise, especially when he started feeling better.
“I was going through a tough thing at the beginning of June. It took up my whole summer,” he said. “I really just started getting back to play in the middle of August — started touching the field, started working out.
“But If you know me, you know I’m a fighter. If nothing’s seriously bad, I’m not going to let something I can control or help stop me from doing what I love doing.”
So against doctors' wishes, he was on the field for the first snap against Middle Tennessee State. By the end of the game he was defensive MVP, picking off a pass and recovering a fumble. His teammates went nuts, marveling at his resolve.
"I was so proud of him. It was crazy," redshirt frosh Vincent Gray said. "I talk to Ambry every day. He's played a big impact in helping me get to where I'm at as a player and as a person, so I was so proud of him. I look at him like a big brother.
"A week before the game, he came back, he started to get his regular reps again, he started looking like Ambry Thomas again. I pretty much knew a week before the game that he was going to be ready to go."
So did Thomas. His doctors simply shrugged their shoulders, shook their heads and smiled.
“They were pretty impressed with my case. They said they’ve never seen anything like it,” Thomas said with a grin.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh credited his corner for his resilience, noting his positive attitude, attention to detail and maturity in the way he handled it was incredible to watch. Thomas, however, thanked someone else.
“I just prayed on it, asked God to get me back, and he did,” he said. “It was a great moment for me. I was still kind of in disbelief when it happened, but it felt great.”
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Sign up for our newsletter, The Wolverine Now
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @Balas_Wolverine, @EJHolland_TW, @AustinFox42, @JB_ Wolverine and @DrewCHallett
• Like us on Facebook
