Hines Ward came off the PUP (physically unable to perform) list today and joined his teammates for the first time in this year’s training camp.
”The doctor cleared me to come out and it’s good to be out here competing with the guys,” said Ward.
Ward had surgery on June 1 to repair a ligament in his thumb that he injured last season.
“I feel good. It’s healed up and it’s much better than it was last year.”
Ward delayed surgery on his thumb to participate in the television show Dancing with the Stars, but he said that because of the show, he is in great shape to start training camp.
“Dancing with the Stars, I credit a lot of that to my off-season. I really worked my butt off this off-season. Because of the lockout, it really gave me time to just really work on everything. I’m in shape. I am ready to gradually get better each time I step on the practice field.”
In redzone drills today, Ward made a sliding catch across the middle, indicating that his thumb is ready to go.
“I caught that one and I was like “Wow”. It felt good, especially down in the redzone. All of the balls are going to be tight and the windows are going to be very small, so it felt good just to get down. For me I had to use my thumb on that, so I felt good.”
Ward is coming off a season in which he caught 59 passes for 755 yards and five touchdowns last season.
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Image Source – (Photo by Shawn McCullough/Ohio Valley Athletics)
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