Former Texans first-round pick Amobi Okoye made an appearance at this year’s draft to announce a Texans pick and then made an announcement of his own about his hopes of returning to the field after recovering from a serious illness.
Okoye, who also played for the Bears, spent three months in a coma in 2013 after contracting anti-NMDA encephalitis, which caused him to suffer seizures and left Okoye unable to speak or walk. Okoye lost 80 pounds over the course of the process, but returned to health and got cleared to resume a football career.
Okoye, who spent 2014 on the Cowboys’ non-football illness list, will be doing that with the Ottawa Redblacks of the CFL. His agent Darin Morgan told the Houston Chronicle that Okoye signed with the team on Monday.
“Amobi is excited about the opportunity to play football again,” Morgan said. “We appreciate Ottawa’s strong interest in Amobi, and he looks forward to reporting to camp later this month.”
Okoye turns 29 in June, so there may be another chance at the NFL if things go well in Canada this year. Given what he’s experienced and his resolve to return to the field, there won’t be a shortage of people rooting for him.