There haven't been many negatives surrounding Michigan’s team over the last month, but one of the ongoing debates had been the health of junior defensive end Rashan Gary.
He missed three consecutive games from Oct. 6-20, but finally returned to action this past weekend against Penn State.
Gary spoke about his injury with the media for the first time Tuesday night and opened up about what it was like returning to action.
“It’s just good to be back and practicing with my brothers,” he exclaimed. “I’ve worked hard to get healthy, and we still have work to accomplish as a defense and as a team.
“It was tough mentally at first not being out there, but my teammates wouldn’t let me get down. There was no time to sulk — it was time to get healthy.
“I realized I was back to full health as soon as I hit the sled — that was prior to the Michigan State game. I really wanted to come back for that game, but it was always week-to-week, and just based on how I felt.”
Plenty took to social media to voice their displeasure in Gary missing action. The junior said the upheaval didn’t have an impact on him, but instead affected his family members.
“Things people who don’t know me say don’t have any impact on me,” he explained. “I can see why family members would get annoyed though. I was the only one who could tell you the real story about it, and I supported my mom and what she said [on Facebook].
“The hardest part is holding yourself back when you want to do more. It was a process, so you have to take it slow. It was about baby steps, but throughout MSU week, I wasn’t at a place I thought I could come out and give my team 100 percent.
“Every game I sat out was tough, but that one was harder. Not being able to show my aggression and do what I wanted to do to them was hard.”
Gary did, however, get a chance to take out his aggression on Penn State, a team that crushed Michigan, 42-13, last year.
The Wolverines returned the favor this time around, and the junior said he couldn’t have been happier on Saturday.
“I don’t know how to explain [what that first hit was like],” he said. “Anyone who has been hurt before knows how it feels. I looked to my right and saw [junior linebacker] Devin Bush and to my left and saw [junior safety] Josh Metellus — and then I see [junior defensive tackle] Carlo [Kemp] and [fifth-year senior defensive end] Chase [Winovich], and it was like, ‘I missed you [and] love you guys.’”
That bond he shares with his teammates is the main reason Gary said he never even considered sitting out the final few games of the season.
“Absolutely not,” he insisted. “We’re in a position where we’re in control. I came in with my brothers and we started something, and now we need to finish it. People who thought that [I might sit out] don’t know me, so I didn’t care.”
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @BSB_Wolverine, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42, @Balas_Wolverine, @DrewCHallett and @Qb9Adam.
• Like us on Facebook
