Kentucky WR Jeff Badet to miss two games after taking tennis ball to the eye
Kentucky WR Jeff Badet is out for the first two games of the season because of an eye injury.
The injury happened during a hand-eye coordination drill. Players catch tennis balls fired to them at a fast speed and Badet got hit in the eye with one on August 16. On Friday, coach Mark Stoops said he would miss "at least" the opener against Tennessee-Martin and the game against Ohio.
"I hope right after that, yeah," Stoops said. "It is getting better. It's not as bad as it could have been, and it's getting better. From what I understand, these injuries take some time, and we have to be very careful with that, that that type of injury."
Kentucky offensive coordinator Neal Brown said the team had been preparing without Badet. He had 22 catches for 285 yards and a touchdown in nine games as a freshman in 2013.
"It hurts. Not that this is a positive, but the good thing is we've been preparing without him," Brown said via CatsIllustrated.com. "He has not practiced since I want to say the fourth or fifth day in camp, so we've been preparing without him. He was coming back from the foot injury, we were taking him lightly. He was never out there making a whole bunch of plays, so it's not a let down from a team standpoint. I'm disappointed for him because he put in a lot of work to come back from the ankle injury he suffered in the spring, but he'll be ready."
Last season, WR Javess Blue, Kentucky's leading receiver, suffered an eye injury when he was hit in the face with a football. If things come in threes, Kentucky's receivers may want to wear goggles and helmet visors next year.
For more Kentucky news, visit CatsIllustrated.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
