KC Chiefs' Mecole Hardman Gives Shocking Details Behind Serious 2022 Injury
The Kansas City Chiefs have officially welcomed wide receiver Mecole Hardman back into the fold, as the team waived Montrell Washington in order to make room for him on the 53-man roster. Hardman, who's wearing No. 12 in his second stint with the team, also spoke to the media on Thursday afternoon.
Standard football-related elements such as the Chiefs' playbook and a potential 2023 role for Hardman were discussed, with him saying he'd be ready to play this Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers if needed. The most interesting — and definitely the most shocking — thing that came out of Hardman's media availability, however, didn't directly relate to a game scenario.
The 25-year-old took a trip down memory lane, detailing an injury that held him out of action for more than two months last season. An osteitis pubis diagnosis was part of what ended up being a 10-day hospital stay for Hardman last year, even leading to him being temporarily unable to walk. Hardman would end up recovering (that term is being used loosely) in time to play in the AFC Championship Game, which led to his season once again being cut short.
"People don't really understand [that] I was in the hospital for 10 days," Hardman said. "I literally had no feeling in my leg for four days. I couldn't walk for four or five days. And then finally I got the feeling back in my legs on probably, like, the sixth day and walked the next couple of days, then finally got discharged from the hospital and went on the road to recovery. Also to get back to play in the AFC Championship Game, which I was like 65-70% [healthy for]. I ended up tearing my groin on that play, the last play I played, which was a blessing in disguise for me, honestly, so I could really have surgery and repair everything."
Hardman, who described the entire situation as "scary as hell," said his doctors reassured him that the feeling in his legs would eventually come back. It did, albeit not without plenty of general pain that he recalls holding him to a maximum of 10 hours of sleep during his stay in the hospital. He went to the emergency room one day after a Week 9 win against the Tennessee Titans, a game in which he hauled in six passes for 79 yards while also returning four punts for 42 yards (all season-high marks). It was downhill from then on until he was released, and he's extremely glad to be on the other side of it now.
October 23, 2022; Santa Clara, California, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman (17) after the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
"I finished the game fine, it was against the Titans, I finished the game fine," Hardman said. "The next day, I was perfectly fine and then probably around 2:30 p.m. or 3:00 that day, I caught a cramp in my stomach and didn't really think much of it. But every hour, it got worse and worse to the point where I couldn't walk. That's kind of where it led me to being in the emergency room and when I got to the emergency room, I took my last steps for like five days. The bed I got in at the emergency room was the bed I was in for 10 days, so it was kind of one of those injuries that we didn't shed much light on last year. We didn't really need to but now that we're here, it's kind of one of them injuries that makes you think about a lot of things. I'm just happy to actually be here healthy and able to do the things that I normally was able to do."
Hardman underwent offseason surgery in February, not too long after the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII over the Philadelphia Eagles. He said during Thursday's presser that he wanted to return to Kansas City despite being a free agent, although he later decided not to wait out the team for too long and ultimately chose Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets instead. Once Rodgers went down with a torn Achilles tendon in the club's season opener and it became clear that Hardman's workload in the offense was diminished, he and the team shifted focus to finding a trade partner. The Chiefs nibbled, bringing their former second-round pick back into the fold.
As far as his new role is concerned, Hardman said there's not much he isn't willing to do this time around in Kansas City. More clarity on what's asked of him will come with subsequent practices, but his athletic profile and experience in the offense are traits that can play instantly. Now nearly a full year removed from when his life got turned upside down, Hardman is happy to be back in a place he's familiar with. Now stronger in faith and mentality, he's ready for what's ahead.
"Honestly, I kind of look at it as things happen for a reason," Hardman said. "I think to myself, I kind of got more arrogant inside, in a sense, but kind of one of those things [where] God was sitting me down and letting me know, 'I can take this game away from you at any time.' One of those things that you have to sit back and look at things you've done and figure out what you were doing wrong or what it may be. Even though I was playing well, I still think God's still got this last say-so on anything that you do. I think that's kind of what hit me hard, and I got closer with him on that side and kind of leaned towards that. Like, 'You know what? Let's start to play this game for you rather than for myself and what comes with it.' Now, it's more so like, 'whatever happens, happens.' I'm just playing this game because I can, because He allows me to play it, and whatever comes along with it comes along with it."
