Ohio State offensive lineman Avery Henry has been diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, he announced on Monday.

Henry, a 6-foot-6, 309-pound freshman, took to Twitter to share the news and thanked his Buckeyes teammates and coaching staff for their support.

“This isn’t the way I wanted to release this, but I know no other way,” Henry wrote. “A couple days ago I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer. I will fight this! I have never been a statistic and I never will! I want to thank my brothers and coaches for the endless support!”

Following his announcment, Henry’s Ohio State teammates, including offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and running back Dallan Hayden, shared messages of support.

“We love you brother, we are with you in this fight!” Johnson tweeted.

“You got this brother … we all here for ya!!” Hayden wrote.

Osteosarcoma is the most common type of cancer that starts in the bones and is most common in children, teens and young adults, according to the American Cancer Society.  

Henry, a 3-star prospect, did not play this season for Ohio State. He entered the program in June after initially announcing his intention to commit to Iowa State. The St. Clairsville, Ohio, native ultimately decided to sign with the Buckeyes to be closer to home.

“Being that my mom’s a single mom, she can’t make that distance all the time,” Henry told Cleveland.com in November 2021. “We always talked about what if Ohio State offered. I told my mom I was gonna take it if it came. It was unbelievable when I first got it. I didn’t realize for the first day or so.”

Henry was one of the top-10 ranked offensive linemen in the state of Ohio by 247Sports.