National Football League

Mecole Hardman says he was hospitalized, lost feeling in his legs last season

Updated Oct. 19, 2023 4:33 p.m. ET

Wide receiver Mecole Hardman, who was traded from the New York Jets back to the Kansas City Chiefs this week, said Thursday that he spent part of last season in the hospital after an abdominal injury caused him to lose feeling in his legs.

The injury occurred during a game against Tennessee in early November, Hardman said. He finished the game, and it was the following day that he began feeling cramps in his abdomen. The pain was getting worse by the hour, and after Hardman phoned Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder, he was taken to the emergency room and admitted to the hospital.

He lost feeling in his legs for "four or five days," Hardman said, and was hospitalized two more days after getting it back, before he was finally discharged. Hardman missed the final nine games of the regular season and the Chiefs’ postseason win over Jacksonville, then hurt his groin in the AFC title game against Cincinnati, forcing him to miss their Super Bowl win over Philadelphia.

"It was scary as hell, not being able to move my legs," Hardman said in his first comments since returning to Kansas City. "It makes you think, ‘Is this it?’ The feeling came back — the doctor said it would come back, and that gave me hope. But the 10 days I was there, I slept maybe 8 hours or so, 10 hours max, because I was in so much pain."

Doctors went back and forth on a diagnosis before settling on osteitis pubis, an inflammation of the joint between the left and right pubic bones that causes swelling and pain that extends from the groin to the lower abdomen.

The injury caused Hardman to miss the majority of his contract year, when his rookie deal was ending and he was hoping to land a big pay day. He had some interest in free agency from Cleveland and several other teams, but he ultimately decided to sign a $4 million prove-it deal with the Jets in part because of the potential to play with Aaron Rodgers.

When the quarterback tore his Achilles tendon in the Jets’ opener, Hardman said that threw their offense into disarray. He barely played the first five games, catching a single pass, and it soon became clear that New York was ready to move on from him.

"I got with my agents and they said there’s some talk they could possibly trade you," Hardman said. "After that, that’s when we just started waiting for the inevitable, seeing what would happen. They kept it low-key the teams that were interested — in the mix. When I heard it was Kansas City, I was excited to get back here."

The Chiefs waived wide receiver Montrell Washington and defensive tackle Keondre Coburn to clear the way for Hardman and defensive end Charles Omenihu, who is expected to be added to the roster after finishing his six-game NFL suspension.

Chiefs coordinators Matt Nagy and Steve Spagnuolo said they hope to get Washington and Coburn on the practice squad.

In the meantime, Hardman is trying to get up to speed in time to play Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers (4:25 p.m. ET). He said the playbook has changed little since he was part of the offense, though some of the terminology is different. And while the Chiefs hope he can provide some punch at wide receiver, special teams coordinator Dave Toub also plans to use him as a returner.

"He looks good," Toub said. "We saw him at the Jets game when we played there. It’s good to see him back in the building. If he’s up (on the gameday roster), he’s going to be a guy that will play on some special teams for sure. But obviously he just got here. He has to get established again, and Andy (Reid) will make that decision pretty soon."

The Chiefs sent sixth-round pick to the Jets, while New York sent a seventh-round pick to Kansas City in the move, per multiple reports.

The speedy Hardman had been used sparingly with New York, having pulled in one reception for 6 yards in five appearances (and just three targets) thus far on the season. This came after the 25-year-old signed a $4 million contract with the squad, which included a $2.5 million signing bonus and $3.6 million guaranteed.

He was a much more frequent contributor to Kansas City's offense over the past four seasons, totaling 16 touchdowns through the air and two on the ground. He hauled in 151 receptions for 2,088 yards during that stretch. Hardman was also a Pro Bowl kick/punt returner in his rookie season (2019). He also won two Super Bowls with the Chiefs.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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