Ax Mishap Costs Jaguars Their Punter

AP/Yahoo ^ | 10/9/03 | Eddie Pells

[martin_fierro]

Ax Mishap Costs Jaguars Their Punter

By EDDIE PELLS, AP Sports Writer

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Chris Hanson swung and missed. No, not at a ball he was trying to kick, but at the wood he was trying to chop.

The Jaguars punter needed surgery to close up a gash on his right, non-kicking, leg Thursday after he miscalibrated while using an ax to hack at the massive tree stump that coach Jack Del Rio placed in the locker room a few weeks ago.

Del Rio used the stump as a symbol for the mantra he has adopted for the Jaguars (1-4) this season: "Keep chopping wood."

Hanson took the message literally, and wound up being rushed to the hospital, where he received several stitches, team spokesman Dan Edwards said. Hanson's leg will be in a boot for four to six weeks, and the team hasn't decided whether to place him on injured reserve, Edwards said.

Beginning with Sunday's game against Miami, Jacksonville's only Pro Bowl player from last season will be replaced by Mark Royals, who was cut earlier this year by the Dolphins.

The accident happened while position players were in meetings.

"Specialists have more free time on their hands," Del Rio explained.

After the team fell to 0-3, Del Rio had the tree stump placed in the middle of the locker room, set atop a plastic tarp, and equipped with an ax planted in the base of the log. The stump and ax remained in the room over the last two weeks, and every now and then, players would hack away, spraying wood chips all about the teal carpeting.

On Thursday, when the media was allowed into the locker room, the stump was still there, albeit much worse for wear. The ax, meanwhile, was gone. Asked what happened to the ax, several players just shook their heads and smiled.

Del Rio opened his daily news conference by saying Hanson suffered an accident. Asked what kind of accident, he said it was "a locker room accident." Pressed further, Del Rio acknowledged it was with the ax.

Thus marked a bad ending to a pretty decent motivational idea. After Jacksonville's bad start, the first-year coach insisted to the team to "keep chopping wood," telling the players that hard work was the only way to solve their problems.

"The message was understood," he said. The log, he said, "was symbolic more than anything else. The thing was on its way out, but just not soon enough."

This isn't the first time Hanson has been injured in an unconventional manner.

In June 2002, Hanson, his wife and former Jaguars kicker Jaret Holmes were severely burned while they were making fondue at Hanson's house, and the fondue pot overturned.

[mountaineer]

This guy's an accident waiting to happen. I mean really, when a lockerroom log and a fondue pot have you whipped, there's not much hope for you.

[CindyDawg]

Actually wood chopping is a sport. Haven't you ever watched them split logs and climb poles and axe um? Most interesting :')

[martin_fierro]

I've seen that. Those guys are AWESOME.

Some hack through a big log in under 20 strokes.

[mhking]

Just damn.

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[vollmond]

How long until this gets blamed on Matt Hatchette (WR-Jax)?

[Slings and Arrows]

He was having a philosophical crisis. He started to question his ax-ioms.

[dennisw]

You just reminded me why I hate using chainsaws. Though I don't mind the tinker toy electric ones. Do roofing long enough and eventually you'll fall off a roof.

[strela]

Do roofing long enough and eventually you'll fall off a roof.

Or installing TV antennas. I've fallen off twice (one was a 2-story) - I don't recommend it for an afternoon's entertainment.

[martin_fierro]

Easy for hew to say.

[Hammerhead]

Where's that Fire Marshall Bill photo?????

[F.J. Mitchell]

Who axed for your opinion?

[F.J. Mitchell]

"Some hack through a big log in under 20 strokes."

Takes longer for those who have to hack through their foot too.

[Slings and Arrows]

That's what Shakespeare called chop-logic.

[solitas]

Just wait'll OSHA gets a-hold of that coach.

[The_Media_never_lie]

I think Hanson should contract out all work involving power tools.

[dennisw]

Same for skydiving stunts like that guy who boinked his head against a bridge as he came down then sp-latted 300 feet down.

[Northern Yankee]

Wonder if he'll get cut from the team?

[Charles Henrickson]

He's a lumberjack and he's OK.

[strela]

Yeah, I remember that one. I always cringe watching diving competitions on TV, remembering one poor schmuck who hit the platform on the way down years ago. Blood all over the board and in the water - ick.

[JoeSixPack1]

Well, Coach, send him to ballet class while he's healing.

He's obviously got the finesse of a boarhog with two noses.