BALTIMORE — Former U of M star running back Mo Ibrahim is in a Baltimore hospital recovering from surgery after suffering an injury on a kickoff return.
Ibrahim, who set multiple records while playing for the Gophers between 2018 and 2022, is now playing for the NFL's Detroit Lions after signing as an undrafted free agent. He was just activated and was returning a kickoff against the Baltimore Ravens Sunday when he went down and did not get back up. Ibrahim was eventually carted off the field.
It was the first time in his young professional career that Ibrahim had touched a ball in a regular season NFL game.
While not releasing specifics, NBC's Pro Football Talk (PFT) says the Lions confirmed that Ibrahim was taken to a Baltimore hospital and was treated for an injury to his hip.
“Mo’s in the hospital and he’s having surgery right now," Lions head coach Dan Campbell told PFT. "Sounds like he’ll be OK but he’s gonna stay here overnight. He’s tough. I hate that for him.”
During his career at the U of M Mo Ibrahim played in 41 games, racking up 4,668 yards and 53 total touchdowns, both Gophers records. He is no stranger to serious injury, having missed virtually the entire 2021 NCAA season after rupturing his Achilles tendon in the opener against Ohio State. Ibrahim rebounded for a stellar 2022 season that saw him listed among the best running backs in college football.
Hopefully, a similar comeback is in the cards.
"Never lose faith," Ibrahim told the Pioneer Press following his comeback. "You’re going to have hard days, you’re gonna have tough days where you think that you’re looking at the top of Mount Everest and you’re thinking, “Hey, I’ve gotta get there. I gotta get there.” But you got to break it down into little sections. Like I said, at first I just wanted to walk again. I was on a scooter. I just wanted to walk again and I had to run again… There are like little steps, steps, steps. And then you look down and realize you’re at the top of Mount Everest."
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