Jalen Reeves-MaybinKNOXVILLE - Tennessee linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin was clipped in the arm by a bullet in the early-morning hours Sunday while in his hometown of Clarksville.
According to a report by The Leaf Chronicle in Clarksville, the rising sophomore, essentially an innocent bystander in the incident, was taken to the hospital after police responded to an aggravated assault and a report of shots fired at a party.
The report said Reeves-Maybin "was standing in the street" and "felt a sharp pain in his arm" when an unidentified person fired a shot.
Reeves-Maybin wasn't seriously injured and was back in Knoxville attending class and team workouts Monday.
"Every opportunity is a teaching opportunity," Vols coach Butch Jones told reporters ahead of Monday night's Big Orange Caravan stop in Memphis. "You try to invest in your players. We raise them like they're our own sons.
"Jalen's doing great. He's fine. He's actually back in Knoxville right now. He had his first day of classes. He's one of the individuals that elected to stay for mini-term. He was working out today, so he's fine.
"It's a great illustration -- wrong place, wrong time -- but he's a great individual and a great-character young man, so we're very fortunate and very blessed that he's doing fine right now."
The incident happened near Northeast High School, where Reeves-Maybin starred as a running back and linebacker before enrolling at Tennessee in January 2012. He missed his first spring practice after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder. As a freshman, Reeves-Maybin led the Vols with 11 tackles on special teams.
He memorably blocked a punt that led to a touchdown in Tennessee's near upset of Georgia, and he left spring practice last month as a likely starter at outside linebacker.
"I'm good. Thanks!" Reeves-Maybin posted on his Twitter account Monday.
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.