Darius Hoggins was set to replace Elijah McGuire for the Ragin’ Cajuns this season at running back. This is no small undertaking, as McGuire left campus as the school’s record-holder for all-purpose yards in a career. Filling those shoes is hard enough without other distractions, but the most unlikely of culprits derailed Hoggins last Friday: his cell phone.
According to The Acadiana Advocate’s report, head coach Mark Hudspeth is calling what happened to Hoggins a “non-football-related injury” and a “just a freak thing.”
The report goes on to say that the incident occurred when Hoggins fell down while looking at his cell phone. This resulted in a broken jaw and some issues with dislodged teeth.
In the wake of Hoggins’ injury, take a look at some of the other times that athletes have found a way to hurt themselves in recent years.
Nate Burleson’s Pizza Incident
Back in 2013, Detroit Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson was left with a broken arm after a car accident. This may not seem that notable on the surface, but the accident occurred because Burleson was trying to save two pizzas he had in his car. Burleson was reportedly trying to change the music when he noticed the pizzas sliding out of their boxes. David Roth provides a great timeline of the events surrounding the car accident in the investigation he did for SB Nation.
Joel Zumaya and Guitar Hero
Joel Zumaya was a relief pitcher for the Detroit Tigers in the late 2000’s known for his ability to throw the heater. At one point he threw a 104.8 mph fastball which was fastest pitch ever-recorded until Aroldis Chapman came along. Off of the field, however, was a different story for Zumaya. He had to be sidelined for the ALCS in 2006 due to a sore wrist from playing too much guitar hero.
Jason Pierre-Paul
Joel Zumaya hurting his wrist from playing too many video games during the playoffs? That’s funny. Jason Pierre-Paul’s injury? Absolutely not funny. On July 4th, 2014, Pierre-Paul was lighting off fireworks for an annual cookout when a fuse wouldn’t light despite many attempts. Finally it lit, and it exploded much quicker than he anticipated, leaving Pierre-Paul without a finger on his right hand. Luckily for Pierre-Paul he is back on the football field and has put the injury behind him, starting for the New York Giants again.
The examples used are ones where an athlete puts himself in a situation that they could have avoided, but that’s not the case for Hoggins. Something like this is nearly impossible to predict, and even harder to avoid once it’s set in motion.
There is no fault being placed on Hoggins for his actions, he is the victim of a truly “freak” occurrence. We wish him nothing but a smooth and painless recovery.