TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz revealed Monday that running back Ahmad Hardy, who suffered a gunshot wound to his leg in May, has been medically cleared to prepare for the upcoming season and used the occasion to offer a comment about gun violence in America.

“Not criticizing the police or the right to bear arms, which is a Second Amendment right,” Drinkwitz said Monday at SEC Media Days. “But just saying there is no place for gun violence, especially for our youth in society.”

Drinkwitz said it could take the running back five to eight weeks before he can play. The coach said it was hard to know how Hardy, who finished second in Bowl Subdivision last year with 1,659 yards, would play if he returns.

“My anticipation of what I’ve seen, the way he’s attacked his rehab: He’s going to be a better Ahmad Hardy than when he was before,” Drinkwitz said.

Hardy was shot while attending a concert in Laurel, Mississippi, on May 10. A few days later, police made an arrest in connection with the shooting and charged Rashodrick Harris of aggravated assault; Harris was released on $500,000 bond.

Drinkwitz said the bullet struck a bone in Hardy’s leg.

The coach said he was proud of the way Hardy, a junior who was seen as a potentially high NFL draft pick if he leaves college after this season, approached his recovery. Drinkwitz also sent a different message on a day in which he discussed Missouri’s prospects for the upcoming season.

“What I want to tell y’all is this was a great opportunity for Ahmad to learn. It was a great opportunity for our student-athletes to learn,” the coach said. “It was also a great reminder that there is no place for gun violence in this world.”

___

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football