For four years, New Orleans Saints linebacker Michael Mauti said, he had been able to manage his ulcerative colitis well enough to play football. Finally, nine games into his fourth NFL season, he no longer could.
Mauti was placed on the Saints’ Reserve/Non-Football Injury list Monday, six days after doctors told him that he will need surgery for the condition, and will miss the rest of the season. Mauti said the surgery is not career-ending.
“For the last maybe four years, since I was diagnosed, I’ve had ulcerative colitis,” he said Tuesday. “It’s something I’ve been struggling with and managing, I’ve got a great team of doctors that have been helping me out as I’ve progressed with my career.