Though he hasn't said what he needs surgery for, exactly, Michigan senior defensive end Chase Winovich will put off any operations until his college football season is put to bed.
Winovich said he will play in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and Senior Bowl, and then participate in the NFL combine. Then, he'll have surgery, though he's not disclosing on what. Just that it happened early vs. Ohio State.
"[The medical staff] told me after the Ohio State game the injury I sustained early on in that game that I'm going to need surgery," Winovich said Thursday. "They said you need surgery, what do you want to do? You can get it now or try to put it off until after the combines. I knew I had to work out in the combine because it's important for a lot of reasons to display some of my skills."
Winovich figured he might as well play.
"From that point, I know I'm not going to get surgery, I know I want to play in the Senior Bowl, and I have this bowl game. This is a great opportunity. It's my last game at Michigan. It was like, 'Shoot, I'm already hurt I might as well take this opportunity and seize it.'"
Winovich acknowledged that the pain is bad every day, but that "it's just something you have to live with."