It’s been an impressive summer for Detroit Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike. Seemingly left by the football wayside due to a long-term back injury, Onwuzurike fought hard and earned his spot on the Lions’ 53-man roster.
It’s a great accomplishment for a player who missed all of 2022 with a back injury that went back to his college days at Washington. In the process, Onwuzurike had a fusion surgery that heretofore meant the end of a career.
In a must-read piece he wrote himself via Ceros, Onwuzurike lays out his path back to the field from the back surgery. For the first time, he also officially indicated that he had spinal fusion surgery for the L5-S1 vertebrae in the lower back.
I needed a spinal fusion in my L5-S1. It was pretty simple; the surgery could limit my flexibility and prevent me from playing football ever again. There are not a lot of guys who get this surgery and are able to come back to football. I had coaches tell me they had friends get this exact surgery and not be able to return to the game. I think it’s easier if you get this procedure in your neck.
It’s not an easy decision, knowing it almost certainly meant his football life was going to end. Onwuzurike understood the risk but also believed in his own mental strength and fortitude to be an incredible exception,
I was content knowing that if the surgery didn’t allow me back onto the football field, at least I had my quality of life. On top of being content with that, I was going to do everything in my power to get back to playing football. When you have that mindset, it’s hard for things to go wrong. And regardless, if things did go wrong, I still made my dream happen. I had a lot to be thankful for.
Watching Onwuzurike attack practice reps this summer, it was easy to see a man growing more confident in his newfound back. Being able to focus on football instead of pain management allowed Onwuzurike to start to flash the skills that convinced Lions GM Brad Holmes to draft him in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Onwuzurike credits a positive attitude and unwavering support from head coach Dan Campbell and the Lions.
It’s a well-written, thoughtful piece about a very difficult journey. Check it out and appreciate just how incredible it is that Levi Onwuzurike is still playing football for Detroit.
Story originally appeared on Lions Wire
