Michigan Wolverines

Jabrill Peppers broke down while discussing Michigan's Orange Bowl loss and his future

Published Dec. 31, 2016 12:29 p.m. ET

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Chris Bahr

Jabrill Peppers was a late scratch for the Michigan Wolverines in their Orange Bowl loss to the Florida State Seminoles on Friday night. And he couldn’t hide his disappointment after watching helplessly as his team fell behind early, battled back to take a late fourth-quarter lead and lost on a score with less than two minutes remaining.

The do-everything star who finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting this season missed the game after tweaking his left hamstring in Thursday’s practice. And his loss was felt on defense as the Wolverines allowed a season-high 33 points in the loss to the Noles.




Peppers spoke to the media afterward with tears in his eyes as he talked about having to sit out the game and addressed speculation about his future – reiterating that he didn’t miss the Orange Bowl to protect his NFL Draft stock and saying he hasn’t yet decided whether to turn pro.

"I could care less about what people think about why I didn't play," Peppers said, via ESPN.com. "I just couldn't be out there with my brothers. That hurt more than the loss. My future didn't play any role in this. I still don't know what I'm going to do yet."

"The fact we couldn't send these seniors out the right way, the fact that I couldn't play, that (stuff) just hurt," he said. "I couldn't even run. I told myself if I was at least 80 percent I was going to go. But at that point, you're just going to hurt the team if you can't run. They count on you to play a certain way."

Jabrill Peppers

 Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Peppers has two years of eligibility remaining at Michigan and has until Jan. 16 to declare for the NFL Draft. The linebacker/defensive back/returner is projected to be a first-round pick if he decides to turn pro.

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