Arizona Cardinals' Antonio Hamilton goes on injured list after being burned in 'freak accident'
Arizona Cardinals cornerback Antonio Hamilton had earned a starting role and the praise of his coaches during his second training camp with the team.
But Thursday, the team placed him on the non-football injury list, meaning he will miss the first four games of the regular season.
The Arizona Republic reported he was injured in a cooking accident. On Thursday afternoon, Hamilton tweeted a photo of himself with burns on his feet.
"Had the greatest camp of my career & last Monday I had a accident that could've ended up deadly for me & my family but instead I got the short end of it by having my feet severely burned (2nd degree). It was literally a freak accident and God spared me to only have these injuries," he tweeted.
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Hamilton, 29, was entering his seventh NFL season and had started four of his 74 games. Undrafted out of South Carolina State, he joined the Cardinals last season — after previously playing for the Raiders, Giants and Chiefs — and recorded a career-best 38 tackles.
He was going to be a starting cornerback this season after a strong camp.
“He plays with that hunger,” coach Kliff Kingsbury said of Hamilton in mid-August. “He plays with that short-term memory, too. He’s not afraid to take risks, sit on things and make plays. He’s physical, tough-nosed, same deal. He can play special teams. We fell in love with him last year just with the competitive spirit he came in with and he’s just gotten better and better and has had a real nice camp.”
The Cardinals' website reported rookie Christian Matthew was re-signed after being cut and would replace Hamilton on the roster.
Contributing: Bob McManaman, Arizona Republic