Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy is set to be released from the hospital to begin rehab after suffering a gunshot wound to his upper leg on Sunday, sources tell CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello. The incident occurred at a concert in Mississippi on Sunday, after which Hardy underwent emergency surgery, according to a statement from the Missouri athletic department.
Hardy led the Power Four rushing last season with 1,649 yards and 16 touchdowns for the Tigers.
“Ahmad is deeply loved by his teammates, coaches, friends, family and fans. We will continue to stand beside him and his family through this difficult time, offering our love, prayers, strength and support,” Missouri’s statement read in part.
Hardy, a Mississippi native, posted a career-best 300-yard outing last fall during a win over Mississippi State en route to becoming the SEC’s top running back.
“I’m from Mississippi,” Hardy mentioned after the game. “A lot of teams didn’t recruit me coming out of high school, so it was kind of personal. But then, again, like I told the guys, the seniors, I was doing it for them.”
Coming out of spring practice last month, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz raved over Hardy’s relationship with teammates as a mentor of sorts.
“For us at the running back position — Jamal Roberts, Mr. Dependable. Ahmad Hardy comes along, teaches his teammates how to ride a horse,” Drinkwitz mentioned, referencing Hardy’s viral social media moment with his fellow ballcarriers. “AJ — the outside zone — it’s been impressive to watch him on Twitter riding horses as much as it’s been impressive to watch him on film. He does an excellent job with both.”
Hardy’s rise at Missouri came after years of being overlooked. The Mississippi native grew up in Oma, a tiny town with five stop signs and no traffic lights, in a two-bedroom trailer with three siblings and his single mother, who worked multiple jobs while keeping her children involved in sports. Hardy later became a star at Lawrence County High, worked at McDonald’s from age 15 until college and turned his lone FBS scholarship offer into a breakout freshman season at Louisiana Monroe before transferring to Missouri.
