Inside an NFL Player’s Battle with Crohn’s Disease

After being drafted by the Bills in the 7^th round, Henderson had a standout 2014 rookie season, playing all 16 regular season games at right tackle. At the time, he weighed in at 331 pounds, and stood at six feet, seven-and-a-half inches tall. The following 2015 season was shaping up to be much the same for Henderson, as he took on a heavy workload and performed well through each game. However, towards the end of the season, Henderson was suddenly forced to face an unexpected threat to his NFL career.

Three games before the end of the regular season, Henderson was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. A significant portion of his intestines had become infected, and he was forced to undergo surgery to remove the infections and reattach what remained of his intestines. Missing games was hard for Henderson, but the real struggle would come in figuring out how to live with Crohn’s disease while playing one of the world’s most physically demanding games.