What we assume happened:
Michael Thomas thought to himself he can wait and push the surgery back knowing it will need to be done in order for him to heal.
He figured he could rest at home while his team plays for the first 3 months.
What most likely happened:
He tried to use his ankle preparing for the season, but continued experiencing soreness. Th docs told him to address the injury with surgery as RICE has not helped due to his ligaments being stretched.