Leonard Fournette goes after his critics, reveals foot injury in deleted tweet
The holidays have Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette feeling a little too generous. Fournette sent out — and then quickly deleted — a tweet where he may have revealed too much information about his playing status.
The tweet initially focused on critics who believe Fournette is "out of shape." In response to that criticism, Fournette revealed he's dealing with a Lisfranc injury, which prevents him from pushing off his foot.
The tweet didn't stay up long.
It's unclear why Fournette deleted the tweet. Fournette kept things respectful while addressing his critics. He didn't say anything inflammatory or disrespectful.
Because of that, we can guess the tweet was most likely deleted due to Fournette talking about the injury. Fournette has appeared on the Bucs' injury report multiple times this season, but only once with a foot injury. That came in Week 14. The past two weeks, he has not missed practice or received an injury designation before games.
NFL teams usually like to keep that information in house. Opponents can gain a competitive advantage by knowing specifics regarding a player's injury. It's also possible the Buccaneers could get in trouble for failing to list Fournette's foot issue on the injury report. That last scenario seems unlikely. Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris revealed he dealt with a Lisfranc injury in the preseason and was not listed on the Steelers' injury report in Week 1.
Leonard Fournette coming on as Buccaneers make playoff push
If Fournette was feeling the injury Sunday, it didn't show in the box score. Fournette had a strong game, rushing 20 times for 72 yards and catching nine passes for 90 yards. He got a lot of usage, suggesting the Bucs aren't super concerned about the injury.
Bucs rookie Rachaad White, who had seen more snaps in recent weeks, saw his workload drop slightly as Fournette got carries. White, however, was the one who scored, snagging a 3-yard pass from Tom Brady in the fourth quarter.
Things looked rocky early for the Buccaneers, but the team pulled off a late comeback win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Despite trailing 16-6 in the fourth quarter, Brady and the Bucs fought their way back into the contest, forcing overtime.
On Tampa Bay's first overtime possession, Brady led the team on a nine-play, 66-yard drive that set up Ryan Succop's game-winning field goal. The Buccaneers won the contest 19-16.
