Former Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa made a smart business decision, by withdrawing from college to prepare for the NFL Draft.
But for those whose partisanship for one particular school might think he was selling out his team, the potential top overall pick actually played hurt during the early part of the season before having groin surgery on Sept. 20.
“He clearly played through some pain for the first couple games,” his father John Bosa told Michael Rosenberg of SI.com. “He had some slight tears happening in there. He definitely had some discomfort in the left side of his groin. We thought it was something he could play with and manage. . . .
“It’s difficult on him. He had set all kinds of team goals. The love he has for his D-line group and D-line coach is something special. . . . This is really heartbreaking for me. He was going to have an epic, epic year. That kid was on pace for some scary record-setting things. It was the right thing to do, but it doesn’t make it any easier.”
The younger brother of Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa will certainly be one of the top players taken next spring, but he’ll doubtless receive criticism in some quarters for not finishing the year. After his surgery in September, he could have ostensibly played in the postseason for the Buckeyes after the suggested 12-week recovery from surgery.
“There’s timeframes for injuries, and then timeframes for an elite pass rusher,” his father said. “It’s not about rehabbing so you can be back on the used car lot or be a mechanic. When is he able to be safe and play at the same level? When you look at the preparation he goes through in preseason, that’s not a realistic timeframe for it to be safe. It’s just not.”
After the Sept. 15 game against TCU, tests showed Bosa had developed tears on both sides of his groin. He had four sacks in the parts of three games he played this year.
