McBride remains upbeat in rehab
FORT COLLINS» He arrived as the player Colorado State’s football team didn’t know it was getting. Then he became a player the Rams knew they were going to miss. Nowadays, Toby McBride is somewhat a player some of his teammates don’t realize they need.
“I’d love to have him back, because he’s what you want,” CSU head coach Mike Bobo said. “He’s tough, he’s blue collar, he’s a guy that is all in. This guy hasn’t been playing, but he’s always asking me what can I do coach to help? What do I need to do?”
That’s the toughest question for McBride. He’s doing all he can, but deep down, there are no guarantees it’s going to matter.
Back issues are tough in that regard, especially for a defensive lineman.
He arrived out of Fort Morgan a bit undersized, but natural talent and drive made him a factor his inaugural season. He led Colorado State’s defensive line with 32 tackles, despite not starting a game in the regular season. His four sacks led the team, his seven tackles for loss ranked fourth.
He was a starter to open 2017, but four games into the campaign, a back injury cut his season short. Since then, the former state wrestling champion has had to grapple with some pretty tough opponents — pain and emotion — which often team up against him.
“It’s probably been the hardest part of my life I’ve ever had to deal with,” he said. “The injury, not being able to play. That’s what I really wanted to do in college, that and school. That’s half the college experience for me, and to have that taken away has been really rough. Dealing with everything, the pain, the doctor’s appointments, the different treatments, rehab, working out, it’s been a lot to deal with. I’ve never had to deal with that in the past. Dealing with that, plus school, it’s been pretty rough.”
He admits there are days he wonders if it is all leading up to disappointment.
He’s seen one doctor, then another. He went to Denver to get a third opinion, and it was there he was told he’d probably be better off long term if he just called it a career. Either way, he’s looking at a lifetime of dealing with pain.
His mom, Kate, was at every appointment. Toby knows she’s dealt with back issues, and he trusted her to know what questions should be asked. It was definitely unsettling for her to hear her son might have to walk away from a game he loves. Her goal was to make sure Toby had all the answers he needed to make the proper choice.
“It’s his decision. I just want to make sure he understands all of his options,” Kate said. “As a 20year old kid, I don’t think he understands the right questions to ask.”