Panthers GM: 'Our No. 1 priority is a healthy Michael Oher'
Carolina Panthers offensive lineman Michael Oher posted and then deleted an Instagram on Friday that included several pill bottles and was captioned "All for the brain smh." Ollie Connolly of the Atlanta Journal Constitutiontook a screenshot of Oher's post and tweeted the image.
Oher, 31, played in just three games last season after he was placed in the concussion protocol in September.
Amid wider concerns about concussions in the NFL, Oher's post drew numerous responses on social media. Eugene Monroe, a retired lineman and former teammate of Oher in Baltimore, tweeted at Oher, saying "been there bro" and wishing him well.
"I don’t know if Michael posted that photo or not," Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman said. "Regardless, my primary interest is Michael's health."
Gettleman said he visited with Oher in early May
"We really had a great visit. We talked for an hour, had lunch, it was a very comfortable conversation. We talked about a lot of things – nothing about football. It was about him, how he was doing and the issues he was dealing with," Gettleman said. "It started and ended well. And after we met, Michael did follow up for a few days. However, the communication has stopped.
"Our No. 1 priority is a healthy Michael Oher. This is not about football, this is about Michael."
Monroe is a marijuana advocate and wrote on The Cannabist in September that he won't let his son play football because of concussion concerns.
Oher has played 110 games in the NFL. He missed the final 13 games of the 2016 season.
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It remains unclear whether Oher will attend Panthers minicamp.
The nine-year NFL veteran is known in part for his impoverished upbringing, which is chronicled in the film The Blind Side.
