Eli Drinkwitz addresses Ahmad Hardy status at Missouri caravan stop

For the first time since Ahmad Hardy was shot after attending a concert in the early hours of Sunday, May 11, Missouri football head coach Eli Drinkwitz gave an update about the status of his star running back on Tuesday evening at a Mizzou ‘Zou to You’ caravan stop in Dallas. Hardy sustained a gunshot wound in his upper leg while seemingly leaving Kamikazy Biker Club in Laurel, Mississippi. He was treated and had surgery at Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

A team official confirmed to the Tribune on Tuesday that the SEC’s leading rusher in the 2025 season has been discharged from hospital in Mississippi and returned to Columbia to begin his rehabilitation process. In a video posted to X by Dallas Morning News audience sports digital producer Nate Sanchez on Tuesday night, Drinkwitz was asked by event emcee and Voice of the Tigers Mike Kelly about what details he could share about Hardy. The Tribune was not in attendance at Tuesday’s Zou to You event in Dallas.

“I can tell you, Ahmad Hardy has been discharged from the hospital. He's back in MOI (Missouri Orthopedic Institute), and he's working on a recovery,” Drinkwitz said. “The timetable for that recovery is not determined.

You know, we'll take it day by day. He will get back healthy. You know, when you're dealing with elite athletes, getting back healthy and getting back to elite status is always a little bit tricky in some of these situations.