Former Michigan DL Craig Roh dead at 33 after 18-month battle with colon cancer

Former Michigan defensive lineman Craig Roh passed away at the age of 33 after an 18-month battle with colon cancer.

His wife Chelsea broke the news on Craig’s Twitter account. She provided a GoFundMe link to the tweet as well, referring to the late player’s future business plans and future for his family.

“This is @mrschelsearoh, Craig’s wife,” she wrote on his Twitter account. “I wanted to let all of his followers know that after an 18-month battle with Stage IV colon cancer, God brought Craig home on Monday, February 26th.

“Craig was not very public with his battle, as he truly just wanted to focus on bringing the best content and building the best products he could. He laid out a timeline for his business so stay tuned… Many have asked how they can help, I’ve attached our GoFundMe to this post.”

In a statement to the GoFundMe, Roh’s wife detailed the battle.

“For those of you who don’t know, in August 2022 Craig was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer,” she wrote. “For the past 18 months Craig has been battling and fighting through various cancer treatments. Craig did not want to go public with his diagnosis and battle because, in true Craig fashion, he did not want the attention to be on him. From chemo, to targeted therapy, to clinical trials at MD Anderson and in Honduras, Craig was resilient till the very end, but God brought him home on Monday, February 26th 2024. 

“All of the proceeds from this gofundme will go towards medical expenses, future schooling for Max, and life for Chelsea as they mourn and start to rebuild their life.”

Roh’s post-football life was to be in business, starting with tech startups and online coaching.

“After football, Craig wanted to expand his career into technology, and moved to Austin, TX,” Roh’s wife wrote. “There, Craig started working for various tech startups while building an online defensive line coaching football business. More importantly, he and Chelsea started their family in September 2021, when Craig became a father to their son, Max, now 2 1/2 years old and already showing the athletic prowess of his Father.”

Roh played four seasons at Michigan (2009-12) and finished with 148 total tackles, 80 solo tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, one interception, one pass deflection and three forced fumbles.

He went undrafted in 2013 but signed on with the Carolina Panthers for two seasons as a practice squad member. He played in the CFL with the Omaha Mammoths, BC Lions, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts from 2014-21.

He won a Grey Cup (the CFL’s Super Bowl) in 2019 with Winnipeg.