With James Franklin's status still up in the air for Missouri's game against South Carolina after the quarterback missed Saturday's game against Arizona State, there are still questions swirling about the legitimacy of Franklin's injury. While the quarterback certainly has a shoulder injury, his refusal to take cortisone shots so he can play has led to questions of toughness that Gary Pinkel finds ridiculous.
"Anybody that questions James Franklin's toughness, they have to have been in a coma for the last two years," Pinkel said in his Monday press conference. "He's one of the toughest athletes I've ever been around."
In response to Franklin's decision to refuse pain-killers, Pinkel said he would never try to influence a medical decision for the sake of football.
"You have to understand this, I have never made a medical decision ever. I've never went up to a trainer ever since I've been coaching and even said get a guy ready, not once in 22 years of being head coach, ever," Pinkel said. "The medical staff does a great job in working with our athletes and parents on medicine on treatments, and all those things. I never, ever get involved at all."
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