Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama defensive lineman explains how he blew off his finger with a shotgun

Published Dec. 29, 2016 2:25 p.m. ET

Brett Smiley

Alabama senior defensive lineman Dakota Ball will not be suiting up for the Peach Bowl on Saturday due to a hunting accident in Georgia two weeks ago when he blew off the index finger on his left hand with a 12-gauge shotgun.

"It's completely gone," Ball said on Thursday, via AL.com. "I shot it right at the knuckle and blew it off."

https://twitter.com/mobilealjournal/status/814535018210959360?lang=en

The reserve lineman's hand and finger are now heavily bandaged, and a row of staples covers the area formerly occupied by his index finger. Of course he's still showing the missing digit to some teammates.

Here's how Ball explained the incident:

"I was tying a rope around the barrel and around the stock to keep the shotgun from falling out of my lap. I was tying rope around the barrel and it just went off. I didn't have my hand on the trigger.

"At first it wasn't painful but once we got to the hospital, that's when it started hurting -- when my adrenaline started wearing off. Then it got pretty bad."

"[Doctors] had to go down and cut the bone out. Two inches down."