When Avery Henry was diagnosed with bone cancer in December 2022, he was told he might never be able to lift a bar again. Fourteen months later, the former Ohio State offensive lineman is able to bench press 315 pounds.
The same competitive drive that enabled Henry to earn a scholarship to play football at Ohio State continues to fuel him as he moves forward from the diagnosis that changed his life forever.
“When they told me I wasn't gonna be able to do it, I said, ‘No, I'm going to do it. You don't know who I am,’” Henry said. “I'm going to push myself to extremes. I'm gonna do whatever I can. If that means possibly playing football one day again, you better believe I'm gonna take the chance. So it pushes me to the extreme, with grades, with everything. I mean, I'm a straight-A student now. It's realizing that anything can go at any moment. Never wasting opportunities.”
Henry knew soon after he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma that he was unlikely to ever play football again. Henry had to have three inches of his ulna, one of the two bones in the forearm that connects the wrist to the elbow, removed in his right arm. Because part of his ulnar nerve was also removed, Henry lost feeling in part of his hand and is unable to fully move some of his fingers.
But while Henry has medically retired from football, he’s still working out regularly at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center – where he’s welcome to be a part of team activities any time he wants – with hopes of eventually getting back to doing the same lifts as Ohio State’s active offensive linemen.
“My doctor that did the reconstruction surgery, he's the one that really clears me. And when I talked to him, he was like ‘Avery, I think you can start pushing the limits on this.’ So I started pushing the limits,” Henry told Eleven Warriors. “He's one of the guys that told me I'd never be able to do these things again, and I benched 315 again when he told me I'd probably never be able to hold a bar in my hand again. So it's amazing when you put your mind to things.”
Henry’s cancer has been in remission since May, and he says he’s feeling great now. Henry’s hair has started to grow back after he underwent 10 months of chemotherapy, and he says he runs two miles a day while also eating smart as he looks to stay as healthy as possible.
I'll never waist an opportunity ever again! I Love the grind!!! Another day another goal accomplished. For I am creating a man that will one day look evil in the face and not be fazed! That will one day help millions of people! For I will not fail because god is with me! pic.twitter.com/QDxwWBGHNt
— King_Henry2.0 (@AveryHenry731) February 9, 2024
Coming to grips with the end of his football career hasn’t been easy. Henry arrived at Ohio State with dreams of playing in the NFL, but he never even played in a game for the Buckeyes with his diagnosis coming before the end of his freshman year, which he redshirted. During his speech at the National Football Foundation Columbus Chapter’s banquet on Monday night, where he received the Tyson Gentry Courage Award, the St. Clairsville native – who was raised by a single mother – said he viewed the NFL as “how I was going to get my family out of what a lot of us call the trenches.”
Now, however, Henry has his sights set on other goals. A sophomore at Ohio State, Henry is majoring in political science with a dream of one day becoming the governor of Ohio. In the near term, Henry wants to become a motivational speaker so he can share his story with more people and inspire them to overcome their own challenges.
“I want to help people. I want to tell people my story. And when I tell them my story, hopefully they can relate to me in some sort of way,” Henry said. “So it hurts (not being able to play football anymore), but it's opened another door. And with this door open, I’m not going to leave it open. I'm going to do great things with that.”
Henry and his mother sat alongside Tyson Gentry and his family at Monday’s banquet, and Henry can certainly draw inspiration from Gentry, who knows what it’s like to have an Ohio State football career ended by a life-changing medical event. Gentry, a former Ohio State wide receiver, was paralyzed during a collision in a team scrimmage in 2006. Now the president of the National Football Foundation’s Columbus Chapter, Gentry has used the expanded platform that came from his adversity to give back and inspire others, just as Henry aspires to do now.
“Something like this doesn't have to define you, but it can definitely enhance you as a person and allow you to reach a lot more people than you ever would have had you not gone through this,” Gentry told Eleven Warriors. “As much as it is an unenviable position to be in, it really is an honor at the same time being able to give people hope when maybe they’ll be going through something like that in the future that they can look back and realize like, ‘Hey, other people have been able to take this head-on and be a better person because of it, so maybe I can do that too.’”
Gentry chose Henry to receive this year’s edition of his namesake award because of the courage Henry has shown in the face of his battle with cancer, and Henry said the recognition from Gentry gives him even more motivation to keep pushing forward.
“I can relate (to Gentry),” Henry said. ‘We've been through some unfortunate scenarios. And he's done great things with the unfortunate things that happened to him. And one day I hope to be in a position like that where I can help people just like he's helping people.”
“It hurts, but it's opened another door. And with this door open, I’m not going to leave it open. I'm going to do great things with that.”– Avery Henry on moving forward without football
Henry has also felt constant support from Ohio State’s current players since his diagnosis. Ryan Day visited Henry multiple times while he was in the hospital, while Ohio State’s other offensive linemen would play Fortnite with him during his chemotherapy sessions. The coaches’ children drew pictures for Henry, which he says inspired the “Avery Strong” motto he still uses to this day. Ohio State director of sports performance Mickey Marotti and assistant director of strength and conditioning Zach Higgins still help Henry manage his workout routine and diet.
The Buckeyes always make him feel welcome whenever he’s at the team facility.
“It's compliments everywhere,” Henry said. “It's like, ‘Avery, man, you lost 35 pounds now, you’re ripped!’ Or ‘How'd you do that?’ It's just been amazing. Great guys, great people, the people you want to be around.”
Because of that, Henry remains invested in the Buckeyes’ success even though he’s sad he can’t be out on the field with them.
“It’s weird, because it hurts, and I’m proud,” Henry said. “It’s almost like an older brother that can't play anymore. So I watch, and the amount of work these guys put in is amazing. They want it so bad. And I wish I was there to do it with them. But I'll be on the sidelines cheering their name. When they slack when they're running, I'll be the guy that's yelling.”
Henry wasn’t the only member of the Ohio State football program honored during Monday night’s banquet. Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson received the Ohio Gold Award, which the chapter awards annually to someone who has made a major impact on college football in the state of Ohio. Johnson became the second consecutive active Ohio State coach to win the award, joining Ryan Day, who was honored at the 2023 banquet.
Ohio State linebacker Cody Simon was also honored at the banquet as one of the top scholar-athletes among Central Ohio college football players for the 2023 season. Simon earned that accolade after he was selected as Ohio State’s Campbell Trophy semifinalist last season, when he also earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for the third straight year.
