Miner Rush, a UTEP Miners community

Police in Madison, Wisconsin released information that star Badgers running back Montee Ball was injured in an "unprovoked assault" early this morning, around 2:15 AM local time. This was first tweeted by CBS Sports' Bruce Feldman and was later picked up by Adam Rittenberg over at ESPN. Ball suffered a concussion and facial injuries when he was jumped by five unknown assailants, who, according to witnesses, knocked him down and kicked him repeatedly in the head. A team spokesman said that Ball spent two hours in the hospital before his release. A police spokesman later stated that they were still unsure as to the reasoning behind the attack. Ball took to Twitter this afternoon, expressing to his fans that he was "okay" and he would "see you in September!" It's unclear whether his injuries will cause him to miss any time on the field, but Wisconsin's Bret Bielema stated that his "concern right now is for (Ball's) health and well-being," adding that he does "expect Montee to make a full recovery." While we're all Ohio State fans and we probably hope that Ball doesn't have the kind of game he had last year against our Buckeyes, I think I am speaking for all the members of this blog when I say I wish Ball nothing but the best and hope for a speedy recovery. These kind of stories are always difficult to swallow, and they remind us that athletes are not infallible and are subject to random acts of violence.