METAIRIE, La. -- New Orleans Saints linebacker and special teams captain Michael Mauti opened up to the media Tuesday about his four-year battle with ulcerative colitis -- which will end his season after doctors recommended he have surgery to try and correct the problem long-term.

Mauti, a New Orleans-area native who began his career with the Minnesota Vikings, insisted, "This isn't the end of my career, by any means."

"Look, it's something I played through as long as I could this season. I gave everything I had to this team, and I emptied the tank here," Mauti said. "I can lay my head down at night and have no regrets about that. But at the same time, I've gotta look out for my long-term health here ... so I can be a contributor again."

Mauti looked noticeably thinner and acknowledged he has lost a "significant" amount of weight while battling the inflammatory bowel disease.

But he still had his sense of humor.

"Well, look, I mean, this is really just all part of my big ploy to get like a big Charmin sponsorship," Mauti cracked. "A Big Pharma kind of thing, that's what this is all about. It's just part of my master plan."

Mauti declined to go into specific details about the ailments he has had to deal with since first being diagnosed as a senior at Penn State. But he said it requires medication to try and suppress symptoms. And he said it can be difficult to keep on weight and muscle, among other issues.

"It's kind of a mess," Mauti said. "It's doable. It just kind of adds something extra to the equation. But it's something I'm gonna get through, just like anything else. We'll take care of it, and I'll be ready to go."

Mauti, who also overcame three torn ACLs in college, said he had never really spoken up publicly about what he was dealing with before. But he said he knows it is a disease that affects a lot of people around the country and would like to be an inspiration.

"I know there's people out there struggling, and this is the first time I've really said anything about it, that I've had it, but obviously, I want to be there for any support that I can bring to people who are struggling with the same thing, because it's difficult to deal with," Mauti said. "And I've had a lot of great support here, I'm very grateful for the Saints organization for the way that they've handled me and their support in that regard and from my teammates especially. I regret that I won't be able to finish the year out here for my teammates and the fans, who have been great all year.

"I pushed through it as far as I could, as far as my body could take me, and it's where I'm at. Obviously ... that was a very tough meeting, sitting in the doctor's office, for them to tell you that you can't continue. But at the end of the day, I've got to think of what's good for the long term, and do what's best for my health."