Ohio State's Avery Henry Diagnosed With Bone Cancer: What to Know

A battle off the field. The Ohio State University football player Avery Henry announced his cancer diagnosis on Monday, December 19.

“This isn’t the way I wanted to release this, but I know no other way. A couple days ago I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer,” the college student tweeted. “I will fight this! I have never been a statistic and I never will! I want to thank my brothers and coaches for the endless support!”

Henry’s teammates have been quick to send well-wishes via social media.

“We love you brother, we are with you in this fight! ✊🏾,” offensive lineman Paris Johnson Jr. tweeted.

Running back Dallan Hayden wrote, “You got this brother ❤️… we all here for ya!!”

Henry is a true freshman at the university based in Columbus, Ohio, who has yet to see playtime in the 2022 season. (The Buckeyes are set to play the University of Georgia on December 31.)

“I’d been talking to them for a solid two years now,” he told Cleveland.com in November 2021, two days after he committed to the school. “We’ve been off and on then the last year is when they really started to talk to me to get to know me. They want to see the hard work and dedication [to] lose 70 pounds just to be an Ohio State Buckeye. They want to know that I was willing to do whatever it took to be that guy.”

College football fans may recall Dametrius “Meechie” Walker — an honorary football player at OSU rival University of Michigan — recently lost a battle with osteosarcoma. The defensive lineman — who was a standout in high school before his cancer battle — was diagnosed in November 2020 and had his left leg amputated in September 2021.

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“Our friend. Our brother. Our teammate,” the Wolverines’ official Twitter account posted on December 9. “We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Dametrius Walker. Meechie was an inspiration to every member of our program and the Michigan family as a whole. He will be missed by so many.”

Scroll through to learn more about Henry and his health battle:

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