LOOK: 20 Athletes With Unbelievably Messed Up Fingers
Sports are hard on the body, and athletes wear battle scars from their playing days their entire lives.
And many times, those injuries involve fingers.
Most sports require us to use our hands to throw, catch, grab, deflect, push, pull, etc. Sometimes, those actions don’t go as smoothly as we might hope.
The result? Fingers that are broken, dislocated, jammed, sprained, torn, ripped and everything in between.
While fans might think such injuries are “no big deal”, these incidents can have incredible long-term effects.
For example, a dislocated finger. “Who cares?” We say from our couches. “It’s just a finger. Get back in the game.”
Well, in the picture above, NFL wide receiver Torry Holt shows you what a dislocated finger looks like over the long term.
And that’s tame compared to the hand mangling Michael Strahan, Shawn Marion, and Lionel Hollins suffered.
Sports’ biggest stars aren’t immune, either, as you’ll see from Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Let’s take a look at 20 athletes with unbelievably messed up fingers…
Marcellus Wiley, Former NFL Defensive End
Athlete: Marcellus Wiley
Sport: Former NFL Defensive End
Number of Gross Fingers: 1
Overall Grossness Rating: 6.8/10
Marcellus Wiley played in the NFL from 1997 to 2006, earning All-Pro honors in 2001.
By the looks of the middle finger on his left hand, he suffered at least one finger injury during that nine-year career.
Wiley accumulated 238 career tackles and 44 career sacks, so his hands likely took a beating.
However, he doesn’t look all that upset about the current state of his unusually angular finger.
Wiley currently works as a co-host on ESPN’s SportsNation.
Anthony Munoz, Former NFL Offensive Tackle
Athlete: Anthony Munoz
Sport: Former NFL Offensive Tackle
Number of Gross Fingers: 1
Overall Grossness Rating: 9/10
Anthony Munoz is a former NFL offensive tackle.
He’s a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is widely regarded as one of the greatest linemen in football history.
He also has a seriously jacked up pinkie finger on his left hand.
When asked why he hasn’t gotten that thing fixed, Munoz simply replied that it doesn’t hurt.
Maybe it doesn’t hurt you, Anthony, but just looking at that digit is enough to cause others pain.
Image Source: Darren Rovell’s Twitter Account
Kobe Bryant, NBA Shooting Guard
Athlete: Kobe Bryant
Sport: Former NBA Shooting Guard
Number of Gross Fingers: Multiple (exact number unknown)
Overall Grossness Rating: 6.5/10
Even the great Kobe Bryant isn’t immune to gross finger injuries.
The five-time NBA Champion had his fair share of damaged digits during his illustrious career.
While the above photo depicts at the very least a bad sprain of his right pinkie finger, Bryant also dealt with severe arthritis in his right index finger for many years.
During a 2016 game against the San Antonio Spurts, Bryant suffered a dislocated finger. He promptly had the team trainer pop it back in and continued playing.
“He’s had injuries, played through stuff that nobody will ever even know about,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said after that game. “He’s a warrior. He’s one of the toughest we’ve ever had.”
Image: Orange County Register
Jameis Winston, NFL Quarterback
Athlete: Jameis Winston
Sport: NFL Quarterback
Number of Gross Fingers: One
Overall Grossness Rating: 5.5/10
Jameis Winston is the Pro Bowl quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
As a kid, Winston got his ring finger caught between the net and the rim while throwing down a dunk. That resulted in his finger separating at the knuckle.
It’s on his throwing hand, and Winston has said it adds a little extra wobble to his passes.
However, no finger-related mishap will ever be as embarrassing as Winston’s “Eat the W” pre-game speech from the 2017 season.
Image: SB Nation via ESPN
Jim Harbaugh, Former NFL Quarterback
Athlete: Jim Harbaugh
Sport: Former NFL Quarterback
Number of Gross Fingers: 1
Overall Grossness Rating: 8/10
Before Jim Harbaugh was the head football coach at the University of Michigan, he was an NFL quarterback.
Harbaugh played 177 career games and earned starts for four different NFL franchises.
While Harbaugh never earned a Super Bowl ring, he does have a pretty gross right pinkie finger to remember his playing career.
He apparently suffered the injury during his sophomore year as a player at Michigan. Harbaugh went under center to take a snap during practice, yet he didn’t have his fingers fully opened before the center thrust the ball into his hands. His pinkie went sideways, and it’s been that way ever since.
Source: Columbus Dispatch
Brian Baldinger, NFL Offensive Lineman
Athlete: Brian Baldinger
Sport: Former NFL Offensive Lineman
Number of Gross Fingers: One
Overall Grossness Rating: 8.8/10
Brian Baldinger is a former NFL offensive lineman.
He played in 143 career games, and he has some battle scars to prove it.
Baldy’s right pinkie finger is the stuff of nightmares.
The mutilation is the result of his finger getting stuck in the face mask of Hall of Fame defensive end Randy White on an unfortunate play.
Ouch!
Michael Jordan, Former NBA Shooting Guard
Athlete: Michael Jordan
Sport: Former NBA Shooting Guard
Number of Gross Fingers: One
Overall Grossness Rating: 7/10
Michael Jordan may be the greatest basketball player in history, but he certainly doesn’t have the prettiest fingers in history.
The six-time NBA Champion and five-time NBA MVP has a pretty funky looking right pointer finger.
The gruesome appearance of MJ’s finger can be traced back to a mishap with a cigar cutter during the 1999 lockout.
Jordan severed the tendon and needed to undergo surgery, but the function of that finger was never the same.
Perhaps that’s why Jordan’s two seasons with the Washington Wizards, which occurred after this injury, were some of the worst shooting seasons of his career.
Jordan has said that the inability to bend the finger still impacts his golf game.
Source: Athletico Paper
J.J. Watt, NFL Defensive End
Athlete: J.J. Watt
Sport: NFL Defensive End
Number of Gross Fingers: 1
Overall Grossness Rating: 8/10
J.J. Watt doesn’t take plays off—even at the Pro Bowl.
At the 2013 Pro Bowl, the Houston Texans defensive end suffered a nasty laceration on his left pinkie. The injury required several stitches.
However, this is not Watt’s most gruesome finger injury.
While it wasn’t caught on camera, Watt suffered a severe dislocated finger during the 2017 season.
How severe? Hear it from the man himself.
“[It happened] in the second quarter sometime,” Watt said after the game. “Just busted the bone through the skin. Nothing bad, just tape it up.”
Watt and myself obviously have different interpretations of the word “bad”.
Source: Gamedayr.com
Michal Jordán, Former NHL Defensemen
Athlete: Michal Jordán
Sport: Former NHL Defensemen
Number of Gross Fingers: 1
Overall Grossness Rating: 10/10
Did you know there was an NHL player named Michal Jordán?
Well, you do now.
This painful-looking injury occurred during a 2015 NHL game while Jordán was a member of the Carolina Hurricanes.
While taking on a check, Jordán dislocated his left ring finger.
In true hockey tough guy fashion, he had the trainer pop it back in and returned to action. He didn’t miss a shift.
Source: Fanbuzz
Kam Chancellor, NFL Safety
Athlete: Kam Chancellor
Sport: NFL Safety
Number of Gross Fingers: 1
Overall Grossness Rating: 7/10
Playing football in a -25 degree wind chill is not great for your skin.
Just ask Kam Chancellor.
Chancellor, a safety for the Seattle Seahawks, posted a video on his Instagram in 2016 showing off his gnarly, frost-bitten, cracked fingers.
The cause? The freezing cold playoff game he’d played in Minnesota three weeks earlier.
The Seahawks’ prevailed by a score of 10-9 in the coldest home game in Vikings’ history. Chancellor racked up three tackles and a crucial forced fumble, despite the fact that his fingers felt like popsicles.
Source: Kam Chancellor’s Instagram
Michael Strahan, Former NFL Defensive End
Athlete: Michael Strahan
Sport: Former NFL Defensive End
Number of Gross Fingers: At Least 3
Overall Grossness Rating: 8.5/10
Michael Strahan is a former NFL defensive end.
His 141.5 career sacks rank sixth all-time, and he is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
His fingers are also an absolute dumpster fire.
The worst part is Strahan’s fingers now look even worse.
This photo was snapped prior to an accident that saw him lop of part of his left pinkie.
Source: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Twitter
Manu Ginobili, NBA Shooting Guard
Athlete: Manu Ginobili
Sport: NBA Shooting Guard
Number of Gross Fingers: Zero
Overall Grossness Rating: 7.5/10
Ok, so this one’s not of messed up fingers, per se.
But San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili has a pretty gnarly hand scar.
The scar is a result of a 2012 surgery Ginobili underwent to repair a broken fifth metacarpal in his left hand.
Sadly, Manu will never get to fulfill his dreams of becoming a successful hand model.
Source: Manu Ginobili’s Twitter via Imgur
Shawn Marion, Former NBA Forward
Athlete: Shawn Marion
Sport: Former NBA Forward
Number of Gross Fingers: 1
Overall Grossness Rating: 8/10
Shawn Marion is a former NBA forward.
Marion, who was nicknamed “The Matrix” during his playing days, was a four-time NBA All-Star.
If only his left pinkie finger was just a simulation.
Marion doesn’t know how his finger began to bend that way, but by the 2011 NBA season, it was in such bad shape that ESPN dedicated an entire article to the ghastly digit.
Source: Imgur
Ronnie Lott, Former NFL Defensive Back
Athlete: Ronnie Lott
Sport: Former NFL Defensive Back
Number of Gross Fingers: 1
Overall Grossness Rating: 7/10
Ronnie Lott was one of the most badass defensive backs in NFL history.
His toughness and passion helped him become an eight-time First-Team All-Pro, but it also cost him the tip of his left pinkie.
While the legend goes that Lott had part of his finger amputated during the middle of an NFL game, he actually had it done during the off-season.
His pinkie had been crushed the previous season while trying to tackle running back Timmy Newsome, and his doctor gave him two options. He could either perform reconstructive surgery that would’ve entailed grafting a bone taken from his wrist and inserting a pin inside his finger, or they could amputate just above the first joint.
Lott chose to have part of his finger amputated rather than let recovery from an injury hamper his season–a decision he later regretted. His finger really doesn’t look too bad, but it’s the idea of voluntary amputation that really makes us feel sick.
Source: MMQB
Rashad Johnson, Former NFL Defensive Back
Athlete: Rashad Johnson
Sport: Former NFL Defensive Back
Number of Gross Fingers: 1
Overall Grossness Rating: 10/10
Rashad Johnson is a former NFL defensive back.
While he played eight years in the league and totaled 382 career tackles, I’ll always remember him for having the most disgusting finger I’ve ever laid eyes on.
This nightmarish injury occurred during a 2013 game when Johnson, then a member of the Arizona Cardinals, tackled Darren Sproles during a punt return. Here’s what happened next, via ESPN:
Cardinals trainers cut off the left glove to find his middle finger severed just above the knuckle with exposed bone. The rest of Johnson’s finger, including the nail, was still in the glove.
Good grief. Johnson showed the result in the photo above, which he posted to Twitter.
Source: Rashad Johnson’s Twitter
Lionel Hollins, Former NBA Point Guard
Memphis Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins yells to his players in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, April 13, 2013, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Athlete: Lionel Hollins
Sport: Former NBA Point Guard
Number of Gross Fingers: Two
Overall Grossness Rating: 7.7/10
Lionel Hollins had a 10-year playing career in the NBA followed by a 31-year stint in coaching.
He was an NBA Champion, an NBA All-Star and a member of the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
But he’ll sadly never be able to rock a pinkie ring. Both the pinkie and ring finger on Hollins’ left hand are seriously jacked up.
While we don’t know how these injuries came to be, they’ve certainly got the eye of many an NBA fan over the years. Here’s another angle to give you a better idea of what Lionel’s working with.
Source: AP
Jamey Carroll, Former MLB Player Infielder
Athlete: Jamey Carroll
Sport: MLB Infielder
Number of Gross Fingers: 4
Overall Grossness Rating: 7/10
When you play over 1,000 MLB games as an infielder, your hands are bound to take some damage.
Just check out the digits on Jamey Carroll.
“I’m not going to be a hand model when I’m done, that’s for sure,” Carroll told TwinCities.com in 2012.
To his credit, Carroll never missed a game with a finger injury throughout his career, despite suffering several broken fingers.
Source: TwinsDaily.com
Randy Gradishar, Former NFL Linebacker
Athlete: Randy Gradishar
Sport: Former NFL Linebacker
Number of Gross Fingers: Several, But One Sticks Out
Overall Grossness Rating: 9.5/10
Randy Gradishar was a darn fine football player.
Gradishar was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and the 1978 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
But he didn’t leave the game without some battle scars.
Case in point: his mangled left ring finger.
I’m not quite sure how Gradishar managed to put a ring on that thing, but he’s grateful a wonky finger seems to be the worst of his playing-related injuries.
“It could have been worse,” he told the Denver Post. “It could have been my shoulder or neck or head. I feel pretty fortunate. All I’ve got is loose fingers.”
Source: Denver Post
Chuck Bednarik, Former NFL Player
Athlete: Chuck Bednarik
Sport: Former NFL Offensive Lineman and Linebacker
Number of Gross Fingers: All of Them
Overall Grossness Rating: 9/10
Chuck Bednarik was the last full-time two-way player in the NFL.
That’s a job that requires some serious pain tolerance, as evidenced by his fingers.
Yet in his 14 NFL seasons, Bednarik missed just three games.
There’s a reason he earned the nickname “Concrete Charlie”.
Bednarik, who was a ten-time first-team All-Pro, passed away in 2015.
Source: The Big Lead
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LOOK: 20 Athletes With Unbelievably Messed Up Fingers
Sports are hard on the body, and athletes wear battle scars from their playing days their entire lives.
And many times, those injuries involve fingers.
Most sports require us to use our hands to throw, catch, grab, deflect, push, pull, etc. Sometimes, those actions don’t go as smoothly as we might hope.
The result? Fingers that are broken, dislocated, jammed, sprained, torn, ripped and everything in between.
While fans might think such injuries are “no big deal”, these incidents can have incredible long-term effects.
For example, a dislocated finger. “Who cares?” We say from our couches. “It’s just a finger. Get back in the game.”
Well, in the picture above, NFL wide receiver Torry Holt shows you what a dislocated finger looks like over the long term.
And that’s tame compared to the hand mangling Michael Strahan, Shawn Marion, and Lionel Hollins suffered.
Sports’ biggest stars aren’t immune, either, as you’ll see from Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Let’s take a look at 20 athletes with unbelievably messed up fingers…
Marcellus Wiley, Former NFL Defensive End
Athlete: Marcellus Wiley
Sport: Former NFL Defensive End
Number of Gross Fingers: 1
Overall Grossness Rating: 6.8/10
Marcellus Wiley played in the NFL from 1997 to 2006, earning All-Pro honors in 2001.
By the looks of the middle finger on his left hand, he suffered at least one finger injury during that nine-year career.
Wiley accumulated 238 career tackles and 44 career sacks, so his hands likely took a beating.
However, he doesn’t look all that upset about the current state of his unusually angular finger.
Wiley currently works as a co-host on ESPN’s SportsNation.
Anthony Munoz, Former NFL Offensive Tackle
Athlete: Anthony Munoz
Sport: Former NFL Offensive Tackle
Number of Gross Fingers: 1
Overall Grossness Rating: 9/10
Anthony Munoz is a former NFL offensive tackle.
He’s a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is widely regarded as one of the greatest linemen in football history.
He also has a seriously jacked up pinkie finger on his left hand.
When asked why he hasn’t gotten that thing fixed, Munoz simply replied that it doesn’t hurt.
Maybe it doesn’t hurt you, Anthony, but just looking at that digit is enough to cause others pain.
Image Source: Darren Rovell’s Twitter Account
Kobe Bryant, NBA Shooting Guard
Athlete: Kobe Bryant
Sport: Former NBA Shooting Guard
Number of Gross Fingers: Multiple (exact number unknown)
Overall Grossness Rating: 6.5/10
Even the great Kobe Bryant isn’t immune to gross finger injuries.
The five-time NBA Champion had his fair share of damaged digits during his illustrious career.
While the above photo depicts at the very least a bad sprain of his right pinkie finger, Bryant also dealt with severe arthritis in his right index finger for many years.
During a 2016 game against the San Antonio Spurts, Bryant suffered a dislocated finger. He promptly had the team trainer pop it back in and continued playing.
“He’s had injuries, played through stuff that nobody will ever even know about,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said after that game. “He’s a warrior. He’s one of the toughest we’ve ever had.”
Image: Orange County Register
Jameis Winston, NFL Quarterback
Athlete: Jameis Winston
Sport: NFL Quarterback
Number of Gross Fingers: One
Overall Grossness Rating: 5.5/10
Jameis Winston is the Pro Bowl quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
As a kid, Winston got his ring finger caught between the net and the rim while throwing down a dunk. That resulted in his finger separating at the knuckle.
It’s on his throwing hand, and Winston has said it adds a little extra wobble to his passes.
However, no finger-related mishap will ever be as embarrassing as Winston’s “Eat the W” pre-game speech from the 2017 season.
Image: SB Nation via ESPN
Jim Harbaugh, Former NFL Quarterback
Athlete: Jim Harbaugh
Sport: Former NFL Quarterback
Number of Gross Fingers: 1
Overall Grossness Rating: 8/10
Before Jim Harbaugh was the head football coach at the University of Michigan, he was an NFL quarterback.
Harbaugh played 177 career games and earned starts for four different NFL franchises.
While Harbaugh never earned a Super Bowl ring, he does have a pretty gross right pinkie finger to remember his playing career.
He apparently suffered the injury during his sophomore year as a player at Michigan. Harbaugh went under center to take a snap during practice, yet he didn’t have his fingers fully opened before the center thrust the ball into his hands. His pinkie went sideways, and it’s been that way ever since.
Source: Columbus Dispatch
Brian Baldinger, NFL Offensive Lineman
Athlete: Brian Baldinger
Sport: Former NFL Offensive Lineman
Number of Gross Fingers: One
Overall Grossness Rating: 8.8/10
Brian Baldinger is a former NFL offensive lineman.
He played in 143 career games, and he has some battle scars to prove it.
Baldy’s right pinkie finger is the stuff of nightmares.
The mutilation is the result of his finger getting stuck in the face mask of Hall of Fame defensive end Randy White on an unfortunate play.
Ouch!
Michael Jordan, Former NBA Shooting Guard
Athlete: Michael Jordan
Sport: Former NBA Shooting Guard
Number of Gross Fingers: One
Overall Grossness Rating: 7/10
Michael Jordan may be the greatest basketball player in history, but he certainly doesn’t have the prettiest fingers in history.
The six-time NBA Champion and five-time NBA MVP has a pretty funky looking right pointer finger.
The gruesome appearance of MJ’s finger can be traced back to a mishap with a cigar cutter during the 1999 lockout.
Jordan severed the tendon and needed to undergo surgery, but the function of that finger was never the same.
Perhaps that’s why Jordan’s two seasons with the Washington Wizards, which occurred after this injury, were some of the worst shooting seasons of his career.
Jordan has said that the inability to bend the finger still impacts his golf game.
Source: Athletico Paper
J.J. Watt, NFL Defensive End
Athlete: J.J. Watt
Sport: NFL Defensive End
Number of Gross Fingers: 1
Overall Grossness Rating: 8/10
J.J. Watt doesn’t take plays off—even at the Pro Bowl.
At the 2013 Pro Bowl, the Houston Texans defensive end suffered a nasty laceration on his left pinkie. The injury required several stitches.
However, this is not Watt’s most gruesome finger injury.
While it wasn’t caught on camera, Watt suffered a severe dislocated finger during the 2017 season.
How severe? Hear it from the man himself.
“[It happened] in the second quarter sometime,” Watt said after the game. “Just busted the bone through the skin. Nothing bad, just tape it up.”
Watt and myself obviously have different interpretations of the word “bad”.
Source: Gamedayr.com
Michal Jordán, Former NHL Defensemen
Athlete: Michal Jordán
Sport: Former NHL Defensemen
Number of Gross Fingers: 1
Overall Grossness Rating: 10/10
Did you know there was an NHL player named Michal Jordán?
Well, you do now.
This painful-looking injury occurred during a 2015 NHL game while Jordán was a member of the Carolina Hurricanes.
While taking on a check, Jordán dislocated his left ring finger.
In true hockey tough guy fashion, he had the trainer pop it back in and returned to action. He didn’t miss a shift.
Source: Fanbuzz
Kam Chancellor, NFL Safety
Athlete: Kam Chancellor
Sport: NFL Safety
Number of Gross Fingers: 1
Overall Grossness Rating: 7/10
Playing football in a -25 degree wind chill is not great for your skin.
Just ask Kam Chancellor.
Chancellor, a safety for the Seattle Seahawks, posted a video on his Instagram in 2016 showing off his gnarly, frost-bitten, cracked fingers.
The cause? The freezing cold playoff game he’d played in Minnesota three weeks earlier.
The Seahawks’ prevailed by a score of 10-9 in the coldest home game in Vikings’ history. Chancellor racked up three tackles and a crucial forced fumble, despite the fact that his fingers felt like popsicles.
Source: Kam Chancellor’s Instagram
Michael Strahan, Former NFL Defensive End
Athlete: Michael Strahan
Sport: Former NFL Defensive End
Number of Gross Fingers: At Least 3
Overall Grossness Rating: 8.5/10
Michael Strahan is a former NFL defensive end.
His 141.5 career sacks rank sixth all-time, and he is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
His fingers are also an absolute dumpster fire.
The worst part is Strahan’s fingers now look even worse.
This photo was snapped prior to an accident that saw him lop of part of his left pinkie.
Source: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Twitter
Manu Ginobili, NBA Shooting Guard
Athlete: Manu Ginobili
Sport: NBA Shooting Guard
Number of Gross Fingers: Zero
Overall Grossness Rating: 7.5/10
Ok, so this one’s not of messed up fingers, per se.
But San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili has a pretty gnarly hand scar.
The scar is a result of a 2012 surgery Ginobili underwent to repair a broken fifth metacarpal in his left hand.
Sadly, Manu will never get to fulfill his dreams of becoming a successful hand model.
Source: Manu Ginobili’s Twitter via Imgur
Shawn Marion, Former NBA Forward
Athlete: Shawn Marion
Sport: Former NBA Forward
Number of Gross Fingers: 1
Overall Grossness Rating: 8/10
Shawn Marion is a former NBA forward.
Marion, who was nicknamed “The Matrix” during his playing days, was a four-time NBA All-Star.
If only his left pinkie finger was just a simulation.
Marion doesn’t know how his finger began to bend that way, but by the 2011 NBA season, it was in such bad shape that ESPN dedicated an entire article to the ghastly digit.
Source: Imgur
Ronnie Lott, Former NFL Defensive Back
Athlete: Ronnie Lott
Sport: Former NFL Defensive Back
Number of Gross Fingers: 1
Overall Grossness Rating: 7/10
Ronnie Lott was one of the most badass defensive backs in NFL history.
His toughness and passion helped him become an eight-time First-Team All-Pro, but it also cost him the tip of his left pinkie.
While the legend goes that Lott had part of his finger amputated during the middle of an NFL game, he actually had it done during the off-season.
His pinkie had been crushed the previous season while trying to tackle running back Timmy Newsome, and his doctor gave him two options. He could either perform reconstructive surgery that would’ve entailed grafting a bone taken from his wrist and inserting a pin inside his finger, or they could amputate just above the first joint.
Lott chose to have part of his finger amputated rather than let recovery from an injury hamper his season–a decision he later regretted. His finger really doesn’t look too bad, but it’s the idea of voluntary amputation that really makes us feel sick.
Source: MMQB
Rashad Johnson, Former NFL Defensive Back
Athlete: Rashad Johnson
Sport: Former NFL Defensive Back
Number of Gross Fingers: 1
Overall Grossness Rating: 10/10
Rashad Johnson is a former NFL defensive back.
While he played eight years in the league and totaled 382 career tackles, I’ll always remember him for having the most disgusting finger I’ve ever laid eyes on.
This nightmarish injury occurred during a 2013 game when Johnson, then a member of the Arizona Cardinals, tackled Darren Sproles during a punt return. Here’s what happened next, via ESPN:
Cardinals trainers cut off the left glove to find his middle finger severed just above the knuckle with exposed bone. The rest of Johnson’s finger, including the nail, was still in the glove.
Good grief. Johnson showed the result in the photo above, which he posted to Twitter.
Source: Rashad Johnson’s Twitter
Lionel Hollins, Former NBA Point Guard
Memphis Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins yells to his players in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, April 13, 2013, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Athlete: Lionel Hollins
Sport: Former NBA Point Guard
Number of Gross Fingers: Two
Overall Grossness Rating: 7.7/10
Lionel Hollins had a 10-year playing career in the NBA followed by a 31-year stint in coaching.
He was an NBA Champion, an NBA All-Star and a member of the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
But he’ll sadly never be able to rock a pinkie ring. Both the pinkie and ring finger on Hollins’ left hand are seriously jacked up.
While we don’t know how these injuries came to be, they’ve certainly got the eye of many an NBA fan over the years. Here’s another angle to give you a better idea of what Lionel’s working with.
Source: AP
Jamey Carroll, Former MLB Player Infielder
Athlete: Jamey Carroll
Sport: MLB Infielder
Number of Gross Fingers: 4
Overall Grossness Rating: 7/10
When you play over 1,000 MLB games as an infielder, your hands are bound to take some damage.
Just check out the digits on Jamey Carroll.
“I’m not going to be a hand model when I’m done, that’s for sure,” Carroll told TwinCities.com in 2012.
To his credit, Carroll never missed a game with a finger injury throughout his career, despite suffering several broken fingers.
Source: TwinsDaily.com
Randy Gradishar, Former NFL Linebacker
Athlete: Randy Gradishar
Sport: Former NFL Linebacker
Number of Gross Fingers: Several, But One Sticks Out
Overall Grossness Rating: 9.5/10
Randy Gradishar was a darn fine football player.
Gradishar was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and the 1978 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
But he didn’t leave the game without some battle scars.
Case in point: his mangled left ring finger.
I’m not quite sure how Gradishar managed to put a ring on that thing, but he’s grateful a wonky finger seems to be the worst of his playing-related injuries.
“It could have been worse,” he told the Denver Post. “It could have been my shoulder or neck or head. I feel pretty fortunate. All I’ve got is loose fingers.”
Source: Denver Post
Chuck Bednarik, Former NFL Player
Athlete: Chuck Bednarik
Sport: Former NFL Offensive Lineman and Linebacker
Number of Gross Fingers: All of Them
Overall Grossness Rating: 9/10
Chuck Bednarik was the last full-time two-way player in the NFL.
That’s a job that requires some serious pain tolerance, as evidenced by his fingers.
Yet in his 14 NFL seasons, Bednarik missed just three games.
There’s a reason he earned the nickname “Concrete Charlie”.
Bednarik, who was a ten-time first-team All-Pro, passed away in 2015.
Source: The Big Lead