Injuries really hit Michigan State hard last season but perhaps none of them were as scary or life-threatening than the one that defensive back Tyson Smith suffered later in the year.
According to a tweet by the Spartans redshirt junior on Wednesday, the previously undisclosed injury that prevented him from playing the final four games in 2016 was apparently a stroke.
I'm "supposed "to be in a wheelchair after that stroke last year doctors say I'm blessed to still be able to walk ,talk , and run! Fast fed pic.twitter.com/esjfYSdkfk
— Tyson Smith (@_Giovanni15) May 18, 2017
Smith recorded 13 tackles on the year and had four pass breakups across eight appearances in 2016. Thanks to a combination of injuries and his play, the cornerback eventually ended up starting four games for the Spartans but missed the final month as a result of what we apparently have come to find out was a stroke.
Thankfully it appears the issue is being put behind him as he noted he is even back up and running right now. Smith is still listed on the team’s roster but was not surprisingly one of over a dozen players who did not participate in Michigan State’s spring game. School spokesmen apparently did not clarify the injury report or if Smith would return for 2017 when contact by several of local Michigan outlets but hopefully the defensive back is able to make it all the way back from such a terrifying (and rare) injury for a college football player.