Quarterback Josh Freeman Injured at Gun Range
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman faces threats of injury from defensive linemen every time he steps on the field.
Linemen twice his size were the least of Freeman’s problems, however, due to an injury the QB suffered while at a gun range recently.
The 23-year-old Freeman needed five stitches in his right thumb when a gun he fired at a local shooting range recoiled Oct. 31, the Buccaneers confirmed Tuesday.
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According to CBS Sports, the Halloween mishap occurred during the Buccaneers’ “Bye Week," eight days after Freeman sprained his thumb in a 24 to 18 loss to the Chicago Bears in London Oct. 23.
"Yes, there was a sprain," said Freeman in a text to The St. Petersburg Times on Tuesday. "The sprain was the worst part. The cut was just cosmetic."
Freeman's thumb injuries went unnoticed until he appeared on National Football League Network's "Around the League" Nov. 2, wearing a black brace on his throwing hand.
At first, Freeman did not appear on the team's injury report until a complaint from the New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay's opponent that week, forced the Buccaneers to announce it.
Tampa Bay lost four games since the “Bye Week,” but Freeman's completion percentage during that span has been slightly better than his overall percentage for the season, according to Fox Sports.
He has completed 62.4 percent of his passes the past four weeks, compared with 61.8 percent for the season.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round-17th overall-of the 2009 NFL Draft and he began the 2010 season as the starting quarterback selected Freeman.
He started all 16 games in the season, the first player to do so since Brad Johnson in 2003.
