Michigan Football announced the honorary signing of 15-year-old Larry Prout Jr. Prout is a longtime Wolverines fan and has undergone over 90 surgeries to date at the University of Michigan’s Mott Children’s Hospital. The team cites him as an ‘inspiration’ and an example of ‘real strength.’
On Tuesday, coach Jim Harbaugh announced that Larry Prout Jr. of Howell would be officially joining the team he admires. Harbaugh, quarterback John O’Korn, and executive director of Boston-based nonprofit Team Impact – an organization whose goal is to improve the lives of children with life-threatening and chronic illnesses – joined together in welcoming Prout to the team. Harbaugh states, “We feel like we’re drawing the long straw on this one to have Larry part of our team. You’re an inspiration to all of us.”
He further describes Prout’s contributions to Michigan Football: “He’s had a big impact on all of us, especially our players. Those teammates have connected. You wish the surgeries and adversities and illness wouldn’t affect anybody until they’ve grown up, but to have Mott Children’s Hospital and the U-M Health System, we all feel very blessed. As long as he keeps bringing the wins. We like that part of it as well. He’s a cool guy. He’s a cool cat. A good dude.”
Prout has been cited as an inspiration by numerous team members, such as Michigan defensive lineman Taco Charlton, who states, “He shows you, as a football player, we think we’re strong but that’s real strength right there, to go through all those surgeries and keep going. That’s some strength a lot of us probably couldn’t bear or think about going through.”
Prout has been writing children’s stories with his mother mother, and hopes to help children with similar medical issues in the future.
Source:
http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2016/10/michigan_signs_larry_prout_jr.html