Wide receiver Hunter Renfrow dropped from 185 pounds to 150 pounds last year while being treated for ulcerative colitis, which played a big role in his decision to step away from the NFL after being released by the Las Vegas Raiders, David Newton of ESPN reports.

There was a stretch where the newest member of the Carolina Panthers suffered through seven straight days of 103-degree fevers.

Renfrow, 29, wondered if he would play football again after disappointing 2022 and 2023 seasons.

"I felt so bad those two years, and I felt like I let my teammates down so much,'' Renfrow said Thursday. "Because I had expectations. I just signed a new contract [in 2022]. I had a new coaching staff that I was going to be perfect for. And I was just a dud.

"I was like, 'Man, I know I don't feel well, but I do not want to play football again. Like, I do not want to let people down. I just want to go over here in my corner, do what I do, get into business.'"

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