Jake Bentley addresses ‘kicking locker’ rumors, five years later

Did Jake Bentley injure his foot by kicking a locker following South Carolina’s Week 1 loss against North Carolina in 2019?

For the past five years, this rumor has turned into a Gamecock folktale. A rumor that Bentley said he’s still being asked about to this day.

[On3 App: Get South Carolina push notifications from GamecockCentral]

“No, I did not kick a locker,” said Bentley, as he put his head down into his hand with a smile. “My first day at Rock Hill I had three people ask me, ‘Oh, you kicked a locker?’ No, I did not kick a locker… It happened on the Hail Mary. I twisted my foot and tore a ligament. You can’t do that kicking a locker. It was a freak incident that really allows you to walk but not run, type of thing. It’s funny nowadays when people say it but no, it happened on the last play.”

Bentley’s injury required the quarterback needing to undergo surgery to repair a foot sprain. He would miss the remainder of the year before transferring to Utah for the 2020 season.

“On a series note, it’s been a little bit frustrating to see that teammates came out and said that I kicked a locker. It’s a little — whatever. Like, come on man. Have a little bit of sense of pride about the locker room.”

[Click here to subscribe to the Gamecock Central YouTube page for FREE!]

Following the 2020 season with the Utes, Bentley transferred to South Alabama for a sixth and final year of college football. While his career had ups and downs, he’s been able to find peace and is helping the next generation chase their football dreams. Bentley recently returned to the Palmetto State after being named the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Rock Hill High School.

“I’m a big believer that things happen for a reason. I could sit here and be a what if guy about a lot of things. What if I never got hurt? What if I never transferred? What if I never got hurt and got to go to the (National Football) League, right? For me personally, if I did that, it would eat me up.”

Discuss South Carolina Football on The Insiders Forum!

The post Jake Bentley addresses ‘kicking locker’ rumors, five years later appeared first on On3.