Desmond Howard reveals he underwent surgery to remove tumor from hand

Former Heisman Trophy winner and current ESPN College GameDay host Desmond Howard revealed that he underwent successful surgery Monday to remove a tumor from his middle finger.

“Doc said the surgery went well, the tumor was removed,” Howard wrote on Instagram with pictures of him directly following the operation. “But as you can see, I am still in the clouds. Middle finger back in action in no time!”

Howard revealed that he was undergoing the operation on social media right before it was scheduled to be removed. He posted a picture of himself in the hospital bed sticking up his right middle finger with a bright smile. He provided the context in the caption.

“Happy Monday! Context is always important,” Howard wrote on Instagram ahead of his surgery. “The nurse asked which finger are we operating on? And I responded, ‘This one.’ She got a good laugh.”

Doc said the surgery went well, the tumor was removed. But as you can see, I am still in the clouds. Middle finger back in action in no time! pic.twitter.com/k8535jGIAR

— Desmond Howard (@DesmondHoward) April 3, 2023

Howard’s claim to fame on the gridiron same after winning the 1991 Heisman Trophy with the Michigan Wolverines — only the second ever to do so and the first since 1940. He went on to be the No. 4 overall pick in the 1992 NFL Draft and transitioned himself into one of the greatest special teamers of all time, and even added a Super Bowl victory and subsequent MVP with the Packers in 1997 to his accolades.

During his Heisman Trophy season, he became the first receiver in Big Ten history to lead the conference in scoring with 138 points accounted for. He set or tied five NCAA records and 12 single-season Michigan records en route to catching 61 passes for 960 yards and 19 touchdowns. He took 12 rushes for 165 yards and two more scores as well.

He would go on to win the Heisman by the second-largest margin of victory in the trophy’s history. He was also awarded the Walter Camp Trophy and the Maxwell Award in 1991, too.

Howard joined ESPN’s College GameDay a few years after retiring from the NFL, and is a staple of Saturday morning’s marquee college football pre-game show alongside Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee and David Pollack.

Whether or not Howard’s recovery will impact his duties on College GameDay is unknown as of now, but he has five months to heal up for the opening weekend. Let’s just hope he isn’t picking any College Football Playoff contenders while he’s still feeling the anesthesia.