Rashad Johnson Finger Photos: See Graphic Pictures Of Cardinals Player's Severed Finger Injury [PHOTOS]

Arizona Cardinals safety Rashad Johnson initially claimed that he wouldn’t post any pictures of his severed left middle finger. On Monday night, he changed his mind.

At first, Johnson rejected fan requests for a picture of his finger injury, writing that fans “[probably] don’t want to see [that] 4real [sic].” However, the 27-year-old eventually relented, posting gruesome photos of his mangled left hand to Twitter.

“#thefinger Blessed to be able to still go out and do what I love this season. #thankful #trulyblessed #birdgang,” Johnson said on Twitter. The post also included several angles of his injured finger, which happened to be devoid of a digit.

Johnson suffered the finger injury last Sunday during Arizona’s 31-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic reported. The University of Alabama product was covering a punt return, and attempted to tackle Saints running back Darren Sproles. However, when Johnson returned to the sidelines after the play, he realized that the tip of his left middle finger was still inside of his glove.

The 27-year-old isn’t quite sure how he lost the tip of his finger, but Somers’ report shed some light on the injury. “Johnson’s injury happened on a punt return, tackling sproles. Not sure what happened, might have smashed in ground. #AZCardinals [sic],” Somers wrote on Twitter.

While Johnson managed to return to action and play out the remainder of Sunday’s game, the 27-year-old spent the rest of the night in a local hospital. The botched tackle exposed the bone of Johnson’s left middle finger, and required immediate surgery. “Johnson had surgery yesterday. Bone was exposed so must watch for infection,” Somers wrote. “Drs shaved bone on Johnson's finger and repaired. Lost about down to first knuckle.”

Despite the severity of his finger injury, Johnson seems to be in good spirits. In addition to the finger injury photos, the 27-year-old thanked fans on Twitter for their support. “Want say thank u to all the prayers and positive energy for my recovery. Truly appreciate u all! My God is a healer, I'm just a believer!”