Is Michigan's Fitzgerald Toussaint Rushing His Injury?

Michigan Wolverines running back Fitzgerald Toussaint suffered a gruesome broken leg injury on November 17, which kept him from playing the season-finale against the Ohio State Buckeyes and the bowl game against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Nevertheless, sustaining a severe break to his left tibia won’t keep him from joining his team on the field in spring practice.

“May not be full contact, [but] I will have a helmet on,” Toussaint told The Detroit News on Thursday. “I will be running gassers with those guys.”

Toussaint was taken down by an Iowa Hawkeye defender after a 10-yard scamper down the sideline, where his tibia was snapped in half.

This wasn’t the only damper on his season, however, as he was suspended for the season-opener against the Alabama Crimson Tide for a previous DUI arrest.

“It was not just the season, but it was the year,” Toussaint said. “It was kind of like a reality check for me. I was able to see things different. I really think this [injury] sat me down to the point where I wasn’t mobile and allowed me to think about a lot of stuff.”

This could be a sign of urgency for the upcoming senior. He did not have much of an impact from the backfield in 2012 – rushing for just 514 yards on 130 attempts – and may be realizing that his starting job is in serious jeopardy.

When five-star running back Derrick Green signed with Michigan for the class of 2013, he brought coach Brady Hoke to tears of joy and excitement.

That probably didn’t sit well with Toussaint, especially now that so many have already dubbed Green the starter for this fall.

While I’m not a supporter of athletes rushing injuries, Toussaint needs to do something to show his teammates and the coaching staff that he is dedicated and wants to be a leader.

Whether that be putting a helmet on and running gassers this spring or taking Green under his wing to show maturity, Toussaint has to remind the people around him that he still exists.