Madison (WQOW) -- The entire UW football team met the press on Sunday at the Badgers' annual media day at Camp Randall Stadium.
The main focus of the media was on running back Montee Ball, who spoke for the first time since he was attacked by five men on August 1, and hospitalized with a concussion. Ball says he's ready to put the whole thing behind him, which is easier said than done with the ongoing police investigation.
"I'm blessed to have walked away from that. Obviously, I walked away after the hospital, but I'm not upset anymore. I'm perfectly fine, perfectly content, and honestly ready to forget about it and attack the season. It was completely unprovoked and I had nothing to do with it, so I made sure to address the team and just apologize for the distraction, but they all know who I am and what I'm here for," said Ball.
This whole ordeal is not the kind of attention Ball and the Badgers would like to draw just weeks before the season begins, but head coach Bret Bielema is pleased with the way his star running back has handled it all, taking the time to apologize to his teammates.
"He basically in a nutshell said, 'I apologize if I have been a distraction. I didn't mean it to be,' -- which I don't think it was, but for him to say it, obviously it was on his mind or another player's. And then he just vowed to give great leadership and accomplish his goals," said Bielema.
Ball will take part in non-contact drills for the first time Monday morning. Coach Bielema expects him to be a full-go when the Badgers open the season on September 1 against Northern Iowa.
