Yates' thumb healed, ego bruised

T.J. Yates braced for the inevitable after he injured his thumb playing Ultimate Frisbee.

The UNC quarterback knew his teammates would not let that one slide without cracking some jokes at his expense.

"That’s their job," Yates said.

Yates jammed the thumb on his right hand, trying to catch a Frisbee during a UNC team activity on April 22. The sprained thumb has healed and the jokes are over, for now, Yates said. After six weeks of rehab, he said he’s 100 percent and back to throwing the football and working out with his teammates.

He’s also doing his best to avoid any future non-football related accidents. Injuries have followed Yates at UNC. He broke a bone in his left ankle in 2008 and missed six games. Before that, he had surgery on his right shoulder following the 2007 season.

Yates, who enters his third season as the Tar Heels’ projected starting quarterback, bristled at the suggestion that he is injury-prone.

"I wouldn't say that," said Yates, who threw for 1,168 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. "I've caught some bad luck. Other than the ankle, I haven’t missed any games, so it hasn’t affected me too much."

For the record, linebacker Kennedy Tinsley was vying for the flying disc the same time Yates was, not that Yates is blaming Tinsley or anyone else for this latest, minor setback.

"It was a freak accident," Yates said. "I think because of the position I play, any little thing can get blow out of proportion. It was no big deal."