Struggling Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman needed five stitches in his right thumb following a gun mishap at a local firing range on Oct. 31.
The club acknowledged the mishap on Tuesday after questions by The Tampa Tribune. Previously, the Bucs had only confirmed that Freeman had sprained his right thumb in the late stages of a 24-18 loss against Chicago at London on Oct. 23. Freeman wore a wrap on his injured thumb during the overseas flight when the Bucs returned to Tampa the next day, said team spokesman Jonathan Grella.
On Tuesday, Grella confirmed Freeman also suffered a small cut on the outside of his right thumb Oct. 31 due to an unexpected recoil while firing a gun at a range in Tampa
Freeman, 23, has seen his passer rating plunge from 95.9 to 74.6 this season.
In the four games since the gun incident, all losses, Freeman has thrown five touchdown passes and six interceptions as Tampa Bay fell to 4-7.