Ronnie Lott famously had part of his pinky amputated so that he wouldn’t miss a game. More than 35 years after Lott’s famous amputation, Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport has followed suit.
Following Wednesday’s minicamp practice, Davenport revealed that he had the top portion of his left pinky amputated earlier this offseason. He decided to have the amputation after suffering an infection that was the result of a broken plate from a prior surgery. Davenport has been dealing with an issue to that finger for several years, dating to when he suffered torn ligaments during a bowl game at the end of his junior season at Texas-San Antonio. He finally underwent surgery to repair the injury in 2021, and had the amputation following several more surgeries.
The five-year veteran does not believe that the injury will hinder his play on the field. Davenport, who also underwent shoulder surgery in January, is hoping to be healthy by training camp.
A 2018 first-round pick, Davenport is coming off a 2021 season that saw him record a career-high nine sacks despite appearing in just 11 games. He also forced three fumbles while recording his first career recovery. While injuries have hindered his availability (he missed 18 games during his first four seasons), Davenport’s upside led to New Orleans picking up his fifth-year option last season.
Along with making headlines, the amputation has led to some humorous conversations between Davenport and his two young children.
“They haven’t really seen it yet,” Davenport said, via Nola.com. “If anything, they’re both, ‘bo-bo?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, daddy has a bo-bo. Come here, it’s OK, though.’ I don’t have to tell them cool stories.”
