Juwan Howard's Family Approach Extends Far Beyond The Basketball Program
It was an extremely difficult sight during an otherwise glorious afternoon inside of Michigan Stadium. In the midst of what would become a convincing 47-14 victory for Michigan over Western Michigan on Saturday, senior captain Ronnie Bell went down in the second quarter with what appeared to be a significant leg injury. The near 110,000 jovial Michigan football fans in attendance went silent as the seriousness of the injury became apparent.
Without the ability to put any weight on his leg, Bell would be carried off of the field and ultimately carted into the locker room for further medical attention.
Following the injury, social media was flooded with an outpouring of support for Bell - including support from Michigan head basketball coach Juwan Howard.
As far as the injury itself is concerned, Michigan fans likely won't hear anything definitive until early next week.
During the postgame press conference, there was clearly a look of concern on Jim Harbaugh's face as he addressed the injury with members of the media.
"That's a big deal," Harbaugh said. "Ronnie is loved by everybody and is a captain of this football team. What can you say other than you hope for the best and expect the worst and wait until you get the MRI results. No matter what, he'll be back. He's got too much drive not to be."
Quarterback Cade McNamara also addressed Bell's injury during the postgame press conference, praising the energy he provides to the locker room.
"He's consistently been a positive energy in the locker room," McNamara said earlier in the week when asked about Bell as a captain. "He's probably one of the most liked guys on the team, for sure."
While the injury is unfortunate, Michigan does have considerable depth at the wide receiver position with guys like AJ Henning, Roman Wilson, Mike Sainristil, Cornelius Johnson, Andrel Anthony and Daylen Baldwin. The loss of Bell is significant, but the Wolverines still have plenty of weapons that can help soften the blow if he ends up missing significant time.
Regardless of whether or not Bell is able to return during the 2021 season, it's clear - based on all of the reactions - that his impact on this team, his coaches and this fan base will live well beyond his playing days in Ann Arbor.
Here's hoping for a speedy recovery.
