Hazell: Purdue lineman Colmery doing well after brain surgery

CHICAGO — Defensive lineman Will Colmery is recovering well after surgery to remove a tumor near his brain, Coach Darrell Hazell said Monday at Big Ten media day.

In late June, Colmery had a seizure in the locker room and was transported to the hospital in an ambulance. Doctors found a tumor and scheduled an emergency surgery, Hazell said. The tumor, which was benign, was removed successfully, and Colmery was out of the hospital in only days, Hazell said. Colmery now is resting at home near Chicago and is expected to be back on campus for the fall semester.

"Will is healing quickly," Hazell said. "I’m so happy for him. To think they were able to go in and do that type of surgery and have him go home two or three days later is pretty amazing.

"We’ll figure out his future. I think you take it day by day, week by week. The biggest thing is to get him back to his normal self again and see where his future lies in football. But that’s the least of concerns."

Hazell said Colmery had three or four "episodes" in which Colmery was "not himself" and would "babble" in the year prior to the seizure.

But to have Colmery apparently in the clear has been a relief.

"He’s a close buddy of mine. He’s my teammate, too, and I love him. He’s close to us," defensive tackle Jake Replogle said. "I keep in contact with him. He’ll be back during camp, to be with the team, but he’s not doing any football-related stuff. He’s just a great kid. I’m really happy that he’s back to doing his thing. Forget about football, I’m just happy he’s healthy and recovering."

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