Wisconsin senior linebacker Jack Cichy knew in August that he wouldn’t be seeking a medical redshirt, after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament prior to the season.

Instead of returning to the Badgers for one more season, Cichy will enter is name in the NFL Draft and pursue a professional career.

He announced his decision to enter the NFL Draft on Dec. 12.

“I cried about it,” he said told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Monday. “It was not easy. It was easy to know what I had to do but it wasn’t easy to accept it.”

But why didn’t Cichy announce his decision in August when he knew he didn’t plan on returning?

“I don’t want to have the spotlight on me during the season,” he said. “I got my statement out after I got hurt. I kind of got two days in the spotlight.”

The Badgers are 12-1 this season with their lone loss coming in the B1G Championship Game to Ohio State. Wisconsin faces Miami in the Orange Bowl at 7:00 p.m. Dec. 30.