The Vikings' Long Snapper Played On After Having Part Of His Pinky Ripped Off In A Facemask Last Night

Report: Vikings long snapper Kevin McDermott lost tip of finger caught in helmet https://t.co/tEWQHuX9X8

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 28, 2018

I’m told Kevin McDermott lost the tip of his pinky tonight when it got caught in a player’s face mask. He got it stitched up in the game and was able to go back out. The belief is he’ll be able to play through it going forward.

— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) September 28, 2018

While I absolutely do have to credit Kevin McDermott for toughing it out after looking down to see a bloody stub where his pinky spent 28+ years rounding itself out, I don't have to envy the position he was in when he made the decision to do so. As someone with one job, and one of the most thankless jobs at that, the hand of the Vikings' long snapper could have turned as purple as his jersey and he'd still have felt peer-pressured to keep on blindly slinging that pigskin through his legs during situations that don't seem all that pressurized until punctured by an unexpected problem. 

I don't know what type of injury a long snapper would have to endure before his bruised and battered teammates would encourage him to prioritize prompt medical attention ahead of providing them peace of mind, but not even that pinky going missing would have been enough for him to feel justified in leaving the game for good to go find it. Take one look at a veteran defensive lineman's unwrapped hand and it becomes quite clear, a healthy looking grip is highly overrated on the gridiron. Especially when you play a role that doesn't seem important until it needs to be filled by someone with less game-action reps than fully-functioning fingers.