Dante Dowdell, the Georgia football running back who sustained serious injuries in an offseason ATV accident, posted an update Thursday on social media on what he called his “road to recovery.”
Dowdell, in an Instagram story, shared he underwent a 10-hour surgery and showed a photo of himself in a hospital bed with his right arm in a sling and a bandage on his neck but flashed a thumbs up sign with his left hand.
The Kentucky transfer sustained the injuries in a crash in his home state of Mississippi.
The surgery came more than five weeks since Dowdell shared an Instagram video that said he had been in a hospital for two and a half months after suffering a punctured lung, nerve damage to his right arm, broken ribs and collarbones, and receiving nine staples in his head.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart in September said director of football sports medicine Connor Norman and head football athletic trainer Ryan Madaleno “have been unbelievable with communication, talking to his family, talking to Shepherd Center and different places. They've been with him every step of the way, along with coach (Josh) Crawford in the running back room. They got to go over and visit him, see him in Atlanta. They reach out and talk to him a lot. He's been around the team some, but he knows what his priorities are right now and that's trying to get better.”
Dowdell rushed for 560 yards and 3 touchdowns last season at Kentucky after playing previously at Nebraska and Oregon. He rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown on 6 carries in the G-Day spring game.
Georgia has been hit hard by injuries at running back.
Chauncey Bowens is listed as out for Saturday’s game against Auburn and missed last week’s win at Alabama with a lower body injury.
Nate Frazier has missed two games with injured ribs and was limited to two carries in another game. He’s not on the availability report this week, but wasn’t last week ahead of the Alabama game and did not play after dressing out.
Dowdell is not even listed on Georgia's weekly availability reports.
"The most important thing for Dante right now is that he gets healthy himself and that he can do functions and do daily in and out things," Smart said on Aug. 5. "Not really worried about football right now. It's not a high priority for him or us."
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia running back Dante Dowdell shares update on 'road to recovery'