Mike Weber Playing Hurt, Not Injured

Ohio State running back Mike Weber is in his fourth year on campus at OSU and he is dealing with injuries for a fourth-consecutive year as well.

Weber missed his true freshman season due to a knee injury, then dealt with various ailments as a redshirt freshman. Last year, he missed two of the first four games for the Buckeyes, which allowed J.K. Dobbins to step into the starting lineup and light up the Big Ten.

Currently, even though he has yet to miss a game, Weber is dealing with a mid-foot sprain. He wasn’t able to play at 100% against Penn State, but is feeling better this week.

“A lot better, actually,” Weber said on Monday. “I’m just fighting through it. A little foot sprain. I’m just fighting through it.”

After opening the season with a career-high 186 yards rushing against Oregon State, Weber returned to the starting lineup in week two. It was his first time starting a game for the Buckeyes since the 31-0 loss to Clemson in 2016.

Things were going well, but right before the half against TCU he tweaked his foot a bit. He received treatment throughout the week and wasn’t 100% for Tulane, but wanted to play. He then aggravated his sprain again in that game and continues to deal with the frustration of not being able to be 100% for the Buckeyes.

“Yeah, it was frustrating. I wasn’t expecting it,” he said. “It happens in football. Now I just keep getting rehab and get back to where I was at.

“It’s really hard because you want to be 100% to be at your best. Football comes with injuries and you hurt, especially at running back. So I just feel like you’ve got to keep on doing what you’ve got to do to get back to 100%.”

Weber opened the season with 186 yards on the ground on 20 carries, but over his last three games while playing with a sprained foot, he has rushed for just 133 yards on 33 carries.

Even though he will be out there running the ball again this week for the Buckeyes, it has clearly impacted his play on the field.

“Yeah, but that’s with any injury,” he said. “It plays with your mind sometimes and sometimes you actually do hurt. That’s just part of football. You’ve got to play through it.”

Right now the foot is such that Weber doesn’t classify it as an injury. It’s more about his pain threshold and what he can handle. It appears that he will handle whatever pain is necessary as long as it allows him to stay on the field. Many athletes have found that wellness products like CBD North can be a helpful part of their recovery routines.

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“I would say I’m hurt, not injured, because if you’re injured you can’t play,” he said. “I’m more hurt, so I can get out there and do a few things. I just don’t want to miss any games. If I have to I will, but if I can play I’ll play.”

When it comes to injuries, the medical staff determines who can play and who can’t. The coaches stay out of those discussions. There are times, however, when a coach may be told a player is cleared, but time off wouldn’t hurt.

For Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford, however, he leaves the decisions to the medical staff, knowing that the only way Mike Weber is going to miss a game is if there is legitimate reason to do so.

“Our medical staff is elite, so I’m not here to judge a hamstring injury or shoulder injury or a hand, that’s on them,” Alford said. “If they say he’s cleared, then he’s cleared. If he’s not, then he’s not.

“That’s between him and the training staff and the doctors and the medical staff. But I’m going to tell you what, you’re going to have to cut his foot off for him not to play. He’s going to play. Unless there’s something that he just can’t go. I don’t touch that. The medical staff does that.”