Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema knows what it's like to play through pain.
So he's letting cornerback Aaron Henry decide if he's fit to play in the Big Ten opener Saturday against Michigan.
"I tore my knee and played seven days later with an ACL tear. That's how I think,"
Bielema said Monday. "But I also weighed 255 pounds and couldn't run like Aaron could."
Bielema, who played defensive line for Iowa from 1989 to 1992, made his reputation as an intense, hard-nosed player. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament as a sophomore, but passed on surgery because he didn't want to miss spring practice.
"Every kid's different, every body's different, every surgery's different. I think Aaron, for him to play, has to be very, very confident in his knee and only he can determine that and that's why only he will make that decision."
Henry tore his ACL in December during bowl practice and has been sidelined since he had two operations in the offseason. He started two games and played in 12 last season.
Henry was scheduled for a doctor's appointment on Monday to get an injection to relieve pain, Bielema said.
A decision on whether he takes a redshirt and doesn't play again until 2009 will be made in the next two weeks, Bielema said.
Bielema created a stir in 2006 when he said that running back P.J. Hill, who missed the second half of a game against Illinois due to injury, "needs to take some toughen-up pills." Bielema said then he didn't mean any offense to Hill and his comments were misinterpreted.
The Badgers were off last weekend after starting the season 3-0. They travel to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan (1-2) before hosting to No. 14 Ohio State and No. 12 Penn State.
Bielema wasn't fazed by Michigan's slow start under new coach Rich Rodriguez. The Wolverines were also off last weekend.
"Their record in Big Ten play is zero-zero and that's what we're concentrating on,"
he said.
The game is the first in which Wisconsin will be ranked against an unranked Michigan team in Ann Arbor since 1959. Wisconsin won in four games there since 1994.
Bielema said the team spent its off week getting banged-up players healthy for the Michigan game.
Star running back Hill practiced on Sunday after what Bielema said was a significant bruise to his back and leg sustained against Fresno State. Redshirt freshman tailback John Clay, who sat out several practices due to back spasms, should be ready to practice on Tuesday, Bielema said. Tight end Travis Beckum was able to get more rest after a hamstring injury and will be ready to practice again on Tuesday, Bielema said.
