Ad Disclosure
Jake Butt discusses recovery from third ACL tear: ‘The hardest thing I’ve ever been through’
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Jake Butt is no stranger to adversity, and he is still trying to get healthy and ready for the 2019 NFL season.
The former Michigan star tight end has had an unlucky string of ACL injuries, tearing it for a third time in 2018 while playing for the Denver Broncos. He originally sustained the injury in high school and re-injured it during his last game in college. The second tear cost him all of the 2017 NFL season.
Butt did appear in three games in 2018, but could not stay healthy. Once again, it was a torn ACL that forced him to the sideline.
Heading into 2019, Butt is trying to get healthy and become a consistent contributor for the Broncos. Unfortunately, Ryan O’Halloran with the Denver Post reported Butt is experiencing some soreness in his knee that is delaying his return.
When asked about the process of returning from a third ACL tear, Butt admitted it has been incredibly tough:
“Mentally, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever been through in my life,” Butt said. “I want to be out there more than anything. But when it’s your third ACL, you don’t want push through anything. It’s part of the process. I’ll be back out there soon and hopefully put together a stretch of a few good weeks.”
It is definitely encouraging to hear Butt maintain a positive outlook. Here’s hoping he can finally put together a healthy NFL season. He finished his Michigan career with 138 catches for 1,646 yards and 11 TDs.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.