Bucs Star Leonard Fournette Tweets That He’s Been Playing with Serious Foot Injury — Then Deletes It

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette claimed in a tweet that he’s been playing with a serious foot injury this season, but quickly deleted the message after it was posted on Monday morning.

In the tweet, Fournette appeared to be responding to fan criticism he’s received for seemingly being “out of shape” this year.

“I hate when people be on here just talking saying I’m out of shape etc,” Fournette began the tweet, which was screengrabbed and shared by other accounts. “Do y’all understand I’m playing with a Lisfranc in my foot every week, can barely push off my foot.”

“But through the Grace of God, I’m going to keep proving y’all wrong…. #BucsWin,” he added.

The tweet has since been removed from his Twitter page.

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, a Lisfranc injury affects the middle part of the foot. The injury can sometimes be mistaken for a sprain, but is more severe and can “take many months to heal and may require surgery to treat.”

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As NBC Sports reports, Fournette may have deleted the tweet because if he has been playing with an injury, the Buccaneers may be in violation of injury reporting rules.

But Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles told reporters Monday he did not know the details of Fournette’s injury.

“He ran pretty good yesterday, so I don’t know the severity of it yet,” he said, per the outlet. “The training room doesn’t open until 3 today, so I’ll get the reports then.”

The Buccaneers won their most recent game against the Arizona Cardinals this weekend, earning a 19-16 victory in overtime.

While the Buccaneers are currently experiencing their worst season (7-8) since star QB Tom Brady joined in 2020, the team could make the playoffs if they maintain their regular season lead over the Carolina Panthers (6-9).

Their playoff fate will likely fall on their matchup against the Panthers on Sunday, Jan. 1. But if Carolina beats Tampa Bay, they could become NFC South champions if they also win their final game of the season against the Saints on Jan. 8.

On Tuesday, Brady posted several pics from the game to an Instagram gallery with the caption: “2 more. Let’s bring it home.”