The Wolverine

December 2021

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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DECEMBER 2021 THE WOLVERINE 61   WHERE ARE THEY NOW? game because I had to go to the hospital. I had a 103.5-degree fever or something like that. I was feeling like s---. Nobody expected me to play, especially with the sickness. I'm like, 'Hell no. I'm playing. This is the biggest game we've played in my Michigan career from a bowl game and national stage standpoint. I am playing.' "Then of course, everyone remembers what happened." Butt tore his ACL in the game, which cost him millions of dollars in NFL Draft stock. Despite being a cautionary tale for pro prospects, he would not change a thing. "I have no regrets," he said. "People might think I'm blowing smoke here, but it was one of the best things to ever hap- pen to me. It opened my eyes to a new perspective of looking at life and hard- ships and trials. It solidified my love for the University of Michigan. "I take such pride when I see the block M, and the maize and blue. I always reach out when I see people wearing Michigan gear. The fact that I played in that bowl game, it's no mistake. It's real and it's gen- uine, my love for the university. "It's come back to me tenfold in other ways than money in people admiring my courage to play and respecting my deci- sion and the way I've handled it. That's the long game. I did lose some money by playing in that game and my career was cut a little bit short. There's more to life than football and that decision, as tough as it was to go through what I went through, the compounding effects of the lessons I've learned are worth much more than money can buy." Butt still found an opportunity at the NFL level when the Denver Broncos se- lected him in the fifth round of the 2017 draft. He spent four seasons there from 2017-20 before signing with the Bears this offseason. He would gather 10 catches for 90 yards in his NFL career. He fought through a lot, including another torn ACL, but also learned another lesson about the sport. "Ask anyone what their favorite part of football is and they say the locker room," he explained. "The NFL is so hard be- cause my rookie year I made friends with a bunch of dudes from our rookie class. Every one of them that I got close with got cut. I walk into the locker room the next day and everyone I invested in from a relationship standpoint got cut, and it felt like I knew nobody. "There are just different elements from the NFL that force you to raise your level of self-awareness and commitment. Truly, there is a reason why you have to be the elite of the elite to make it. Then you have to be even more elite than that to sustain and last a long time because it is so demanding and challenging. That makes it more rewarding when you do make it and make plays and contribute to wins." Butt announced his retirement June 28, 2021, and is still in search of the next step. He has kept the football program at an arm's length but helps in little ways when the opportunity arises. "I just moved back in town, so I don't want to overstep," he said. "Coach Har- baugh has his thing going on and they're running the ship. There's a battle rhythm and you don't want to intrude on that. I do try to help in whatever little ways I can. "I'm doing a podcast with [former teammate] Jared Wangler and talking to guys on the show. Talking to current play- ers. Went out to eat a few times with some of the tight ends and chopped it up with them about life and the position. Talking to them about what to expect in the NFL and life after football. "I love it and the opportunity to have a relationship with them and share what- ever knowledge and lessons I have. It comes back tenfold when you see the guys go out there and succeed and have so much fun. To be able to form that re- lationship with them makes it that much sweeter." ❏ Butt played four seasons in the NFL and spent time with the Chicago Bears in the summer of 2021. He announced his retirement in July and is back in Ann Arbor looking to dip his toes into broadcasting. PHOTO BY ISAIAH HOLE/WOLVERINESWIRE.COM The Jake Butt File Michigan Accomplishments: Part of back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2015-16 … Program record holder for most catches (138) and yards (1,646) by a tight end … One of six U-M tight ends to reach 1,000 career receiving yards … Two-time Sports Illustrated All-American (2015-16) … 2016 John Mackey Award winner … Co-captain in 2016 Michigan Memory: "We were a tight-knit recruiting class going all the way back to high school, when we were being recruited together. We had group chats going back in 2010 and 2011. Everyone was getting to know each other with Shane Morris being the five-star quarterback and heading that beast. Then pieces started to fall in place. "You get to know guys over a five- to six-year period. You go through stuff together. We were not very good my first two years. Nobody jumped ship. Everyone banded together, and said it wasn't good enough and that we are going to turn this thing around. We're going to get this team to play at a high level. That's what we did even though we fell short of our goals down the stretch. We solidified and brought the program back to being what Michigan can be and should be every year." Education: Graduated in 2016 from the College of Literature, Science and the Arts with a degree focusing on sociology.

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