Joseph Fauria Admits 2014 Ankle Injury Caused by Volleyball, Not Puppy

In 2014, former NFL tight end Joseph Fauria said publicly that he'd injured his ankle while chasing his puppy down a set of stairs. But during a recent podcast, Fauria admitted that story was a fabrication and that he actually hurt his ankle playing volleyball.

"When I come down, I come down on just ankle, left ankle," Fauria said on his podcast (h/t ESPN.com). "This most amazing, shocking pain that I've ever felt in my entire life shoots up my leg, and immediately I'm like, 'Career's over.' ... That's how much it hurt."

Fauria said he came up with the story to ensure he wouldn't lose any of his salary for being injured while playing a different sport.

"Did I want to lie to my head coach? No, but I was thinking about myself," Fauria said. "... [Friends] told me that if the team, the organization, the Lions found out I was playing volleyball and I got hurt playing volleyball, that they could exercise the option of not paying me."

Fauria, 28, played in the NFL for two seasons (2013-14), recording 24 receptions for 281 yards and eight touchdowns. He made a splash in his rookie season as a red-zone threat with seven scores, but he never was able to carve a niche in the league after that year.

In his original story, Fauria had said he was chasing his puppy, Lil' Rufio, fearing the dog was going to pee in his apartment. He said the dog ran down the stairs, and when Fauria chased him, he lost his balance and sprained his ankle while bracing for a fall.

The injury occurred ahead of Week 3 of the 2014 season, costing him two months of game time. Fauria only appeared in seven games that season. There were rumors at the time that Fauria had suffered the injury playing volleyball, though they went unconfirmed until he revealed the truth on his podcast.