Who is Avery Henry? Ohio State's offensive tackle reveals cancer diagnosis and netizens show support

On Monday, December 19, 2022, freshman offensive lineman Avery Henry from Ohio State confirmed via his Twitter handle that he has been diagnosed with bone cancer.

Henry did not see any playing time this year and was originally elected to play for Iowa State before he chose to stay closer to home in Ohio. He announced that he is battling osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer. His Tweet announcing the unfortunate news has gone viral with people sending love and support.

The 6'6'' athlete during homecoming (Image via Twitter/AveryHenry731)

Henry Tweeted under @AveryHenry731 late evening on Monday, sharing the news with his 2000 followers. However, at the time of writing this article, the tweet had surpassed 10k likes, and had more than 800 shares. The tweet reads as follows:

"This isn’t the way I wanted to release this, but I know no other way. A couple days ago I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer. I will fight this! I have never been a statistic and I never will! I want to thank my brothers and coaches for the endless support!"

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A look at Avery Henry's life and football career as netizens show support amid cancer diagnosis

Avery Henry was a member of the 2022 Ohio State recruiting class, joining the team in June after forgoing an invitation to play for Iowa State so that he can play closer to his hometown. He was born in Saint Clairsville, Ohio, to Tiffani Pabian and Matt Henry, and studied at St. Clairsville High School.

He is considered to be a strong player, standing at a whopping 6 feet 6 inches in height and weighing 305 pounds.He has been a two way player for his high school, which finished 13-2 and advanced to the regional finals in Division IV in 2021.

According to 247Sports he is one of the top 10 ranked offensive linemen in the state of Ohio and plays under the jersey number 73.

Avery Henry played for Ohio State (Image via Getty/Bill Kurelic)

Avery Henry's cancer diagnosis comes as a shock to friends and fans of the football world. Henry himself seems to have taken things in a positive light, explaining his decision to "fight" the battle as much as he can.

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"Praying for you young king": Netizens send well wishes to Avery Henry

In light of the news about Avery's cancer diagnosis, netizens have shared their support via Twitter, wishing him well. Messages poured in from fans and even players from rival colleges.

Fans of conference rival Michigan football also shared their support on social media as their team too recently suffered the loss of a promising recruit when earlier this month, high school footballer and hopeful college athlete Dametrius "Meechie" Walker died after a two-year battle with osteosarcoma.

Here are some other comments by netizens on social media:

Several tweets also contained personal notes and stories from people who were diagnosed with similar diseases and have been able to fight with the help and support of medical professionals and friends, motivating Avery Henry to fight his cancer as well.

He has responded to many such tweets promising to fight the disease.