Newly donned Carolina Panthers wide receiver Hunter Renfrow has revealed he took a year away from the NFL in 2024 due to being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis.
Ulcerative colitis is a ‘type of inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation and ulcers in the lining of the rectum and colon,’ per the Mayo Clinic.
Renfrow said the disease did not give him much energy do to anything at all, with him suffering weight loss, fatigue, and high fevers, per the Panthers.
When Renfrow was diagnosed, and when or if he went into remission is unclear, however, after talking with doctors, he is back in NFL shape.
‘It kicked my butt pretty good,’ Renfrow stated. ‘Last year, I fluctuated in weight; I went down to 150 pounds. I had like seven straight days of 103-degree fevers. It’s tough to play when you’re not feeling great.’
Renfrow said he’s a little overweight compared to where he wants to be in current form. Shedding a few pounds by the start of the NFL season should not be a problem for him.
Renfrow revealed he took a year away from NFL due to being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis
Renfrow joins an improved Panthers’ receiver room that includes Adam Thielen and others
‘It’s just trying to get back, trying to get healthy, trying to do something I love,’ Renfrow continued. ‘I enjoyed other parts of life. We had our second daughter, so enjoying that and just wanting to make sure if I’m going to come back and give my time and attention to something that I was going to be all in on it.’
The resurgent Panthers may still be a few pieces away from contending for a playoff spot, with Renfrow’s addition being one tiny piece closer to getting back to the postseason.
He made the Pro Bowl with 103 receptions for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns in 2021 but played a diminished role the next two seasons with a combined 61 catches for 585 yards and two scores in 27 games.
Renfrow had 269 catches for 2,884 yards and 17 touchdowns in 73 games (23 starts) through his five seasons with the Raiders. However, under Josh McDaniels, he fell on the depth chart and ultimately, with limited snaps, was released at the end of the 2023 season.
The Panthers’ depth at wide receiver includes veteran Adam Thielen, Jalen Coker, 2024 first-round pick Xavier Legette and the No. 8 overall pick in Thursday’s draft, Tetairoa McMillan.
Following his release from the Raiders, it had been widely speculated that Renfrow had hung his cleats up. Now, that has proven not to be the case.
