Alabama defensive lineman, Dakota Ball, is an important player for the Crimson Tide but unfortunately he won’t be able to play in their biggest game of the season on new years eve. That’s because about two weeks ago he wound up shooting off his own index finger in a crazy accident involving a shotgun.

Most members of the media and fans just found out yesterday what happened to Ball and it all sounds very painful. He was spotted walking around during media day yesterday for the Peach Bowl with a huge bandage covering his entire left hand.

He explained how it all happened, saying he was trying to take advantage of some down time a couple weeks ago and went hunting with a friend. The gun wound up accidentally going off and now his left index finger is no longer there. “It’s completely gone,” he told reporters on Thursday. “I shot it right at the knuckle and blew it off.”

“I was tying a rope around the barrel and around the stock to keep the shotgun from falling out of my lap,” he said. “I was tying rope around the barrel and it just went off. I didn’t have my hand on the trigger.”

Even though he will miss such an important game and possible the national championship game after that, Ball isn’t depressed or stressing it. He is just happy to be alive.

“Am I worried about football? No,” he said. “I’m just worried about my hand healing. If I can play in the next game, like special teams, I’ll do it. But I’m not going to worry about it really.”

During his press conference yesterday, head coach Nick Saban shared his own story about an athlete hurting himself on accident with a gun as he talked about the situation with Ball.

Ball is right to focus on the positives of what happened and not dwell on what he can’t do. He is happy, he is alive and as Jason Pierre-Paul has showed us, defensive lineman can still make a living even with a finger or two missing.

Written by @IamJoeSports

H/t Complex