Nothing devastates a coach more than seeing one of his players fighting through a life-altering moment because, inside a football program, those bonds become far deeper than the game itself. The shooting involving Ahmad Hardy left Eli Drinkwitz shaken behind the scenes. Although Drinkwitz maintained a composed presence in front of the media, he recently admitted he was emotionally affected in the aftermath of the incident.

Ahmad Hardy found himself in a dangerous situation after attending a concert on the evening of May 10 in Laurel, Mississippi. At about 2 a.m., a hail of gunfire ensued outside the concert location, and a bullet struck Ahmad Hardy’s thigh. Hardy underwent surgery at Mississippi Hospital, and recovery has been on the right track. After the incident, Eli Drinkwitz was filled with fear and anxiety as he awaited more news on Hardy’s condition.

“The first phone call was really tough because we didn’t have very much information,” Drinkwitz said on Tuesday. “There wasn’t a known prognosis or diagnosis. We just knew there would have to be several surgeries. It was a long 12 hours, honestly.

“When we first got the phone call, they were just beginning exploratory surgery to try to figure out where the bullet was because they couldn’t find it. You go through these anxious moments of not knowing what it’s going to do in terms of his career and playing, and this season. It’s just, is he going to be OK? How do I explain this to the rest of the team? As a team, how are we going to respond to this? There’s a lot to it.”

Ahmad Hardy remained in constant communication with Eli Drinkwitz and the Mizzou coaching staff throughout the scary incident to ensure he never felt lonely during the difficult time. Running back coach Curtis Luper, alongside other Mizzou coaching staff, even went all the way to Mississippi to be there for Hardy. Thankfully, Hardy left the hospital on May 12 and later returned to Columbia, which brought relief to the entire program.

“The reality of it is, we invest a lot in these guys,” Drinkwitz said, “and it’s not just financially; it’s emotionally, it’s time, it’s with their parents. You’re with them through a lot of ups and downs. You’re challenging them to be the very best that they can be.”

“We have guys that speed, and you have to handle how they’re handling that. You have guys that get drafted, and you have guys last week that graduated. You have the whole life cycle and the ups and downs and the emotions of it all. It’s been an interesting three weeks for us, just being the head coach at the University of Missouri.”

Updates on Ahmad Hardy’s health

After a tense few days following star running back Ahmad Hardy’s frightening accident, some positive news reached the Mizzou fans. The incident had left fans deeply concerned about one of the team’s biggest offensive weapons heading into the season. But now there is a sense of relief as Hardy finally spoke to fans on Instagram.

“Hey, everyone,” Hardy said to start the 14-second clip. “I’m back in Columbia, starting the road to my rehab. I want to thank everybody for all the support and all your prayers, and thank everybody for everything. I’m back on the road to success.”

Drinkwitz stressed that Hardy’s status for the 2026 season is still unknown.

“Again, it’ll be several weeks before we actually get a timeline,” Drinkwitz said. “There’s some internal healing that has to occur before we get to any type of strenuous activities, which would then dictate a timeline on his return. But the most important thing is, he’s been discharged from the hospital. He’s in Colombia. He’s working with a physical therapist and our athletic training staff to get back to normal.”