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Ex-Wisconsin Badgers star returning to NFL action after hospitalization for collapsed lung

A scary medical situation for a former Wisconsin Badgers star has finally reached a positive conclusion as he returns to the field for his NFL team in a playoff push.
Lorin Cox|
Former Wisconsin Badgers outside linebacker TJ. Watt (90) is returning to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers after suffering a collapsed lung.
Former Wisconsin Badgers outside linebacker TJ. Watt (90) is returning to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers after suffering a collapsed lung. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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A scary medical situation for a former Wisconsin Badgers star has finally reached a positive conclusion as he returns to the field for his NFL team in a playoff push.

It's been almost a month since T.J. Watt was first hospitalized for a collapsed lung that occurred as an apparent fluke with a dry-needling treatment he was receiving.

The process is similar to acupuncture, and a mishap led to the lung discomfort that required a trip to the hospital.

Watt has missed the Pittsburgh Steelers' last three games as a result, but he is ready to return to action Sunday night for their season finale against the Baltimore Ravens.

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Watt had otherwise been a consistently durable player dating back to his breakout 2016 season with the Badgers that led him to become a first-round pick in the NFL Draft.

He had been using dry needling as an ongoing treatment method without any incident, but he's going to take a break from it after the hospitalization incident.

"I'm excited to play," Watt said on Friday. "I feel really good. Not sure that I could've said that a week ago."

He's had a down year in terms of production, with seven sacks in his 13 games played. But despite the freak injury, Watt was still voted into the 2026 Pro Bowl Games.

It's his eighth-straight Pro Bowl appearance in his nine seasons since leaving Wisconsin. His rookie year was the only year he wasn't an all-star.

Related: 4 former Wisconsin Badgers voted to NFL Pro Bowl, including rookie named as starter

It remains a future Hall of Fame trajectory for the Pewaukee, Wisconsin native, who burst onto the scene during his junior season with Badgers, racking up a Big Ten-leading 11.5 sacks to go with 15.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.

He has one more game this regular season to bolster his 2025 totals, his first season since receiving a massive $123 million contract extension this offseason.

Wisconsin fans are just glad to see he's OK and ready to get back out on the field, doing what he does best.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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