Mario Williams has toenails removed.

[Denver_Bronco]

Top pick Williams sits out Texans practice 

NFL.com wire reports 

HOUSTON (June 7, 2006) -- Houston Texans No. 1 draft pick Mario Williams will be sidelined for the rest of the week after having the toenails on both of his big toes removed.

Williams, a 6-foot-7, 292-pound defensive end, had the procedure done on June 5 after struggling with infections because of problems with his toenails.

Houston has been going through organized team workouts for the past month and had their first day of minicamp on June 7.

"They were bothering him throughout the camp," said Texans coach Gary Kubiak. "So instead of trying to fight it, they removed them. We're giving him a few days off to make sure it heals properly."

Kubiak said Williams would probably return to practice on June 9.

"We just didn't want it to be a problem when we got to the summer so took care of it now," Kubiak said.

Williams signed a six-year $54 million contract the night before the draft.

[Phishfan]

Ingrown nails?

[Denver_Bronco]

Didn't Deion Sanders miss about 4 seasons with toe problems ?

[Brian Fein]

Didn't Deion Sanders miss about 4 seasons with toe problems ?

That was "Turf Toe"

whatever that means.

[Sunstroke]

I might be one of the few who just nodded their head while reading this... I have massive problems with ingrown toenails on the big toes of both feet. So did my father. He had both big toenails removed when he was in his 50's, and it took several months before they healed up enough for him to really walk without major discomfort. I've considered having mine removed as well...I can't properly express how much pain a seriously thick ingrown toenail can cause on a constant basis.

[CF DolFan]

I might be one of the few who just nodded their head while reading this... I have massive problems with ingrown toenails on the big toes of both feet. So did my father. He had both big toenails removed when he was in his 50's, and it took several months before they healed up enough for him to really walk without major discomfort. I've considered having mine removed as well...I can't properly express how much pain a seriously thick ingrown toenail can cause on a constant basis.

I too have problems with my big toe nails.  I also suffered from a major case of turf toe on both feet when I played football.  Turf toe kind of feels like having a broken big toe.  The joints get worn out from driving your feet for leverage or running on the ends of your feet.  Hurts like hell. I was told Zsonka had a bad case of turf toe.

[Dave Gray]

I don't agree with this policy.  Cutting off body parts before you even step foot on the field seems excessive.  Let the guy heal naturally.

[Phishfan]

If it was an ingrown nail Dave this could have been the last resort. I don't think you appreciate the discomfort and problems it can cause. Going without treatment for a problem can cause problems to get worse, if you have stepped on the field or not.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

I too have problems with my big toe nails.  I also suffered from a major case of turf toe on both feet when I played football.  Turf toe kind of feels like having a broken big toe.  The joints get worn out from driving your feet for leverage or running on the ends of your feet.  Hurts like hell. I was told Zsonka had a bad case of turf toe.

Yeah, and he jammed one of his toenails so bad he had to drill two holes into it to drain all the blood. 

[Sunstroke]

Yeah, and he jammed one of his toenails so bad he had to drill two holes into it to drain all the blood.

I cringed when I read that...I jammed mine so bad once that they had to sand off the end of it because it had folded under itself and was digging in to the toe both from the top as well as from the side.  Man, for those of you who have never had an ingrown toenail, drop immediately to your knees and give thanks to God for keeping that particular devil out of your world.

[BeefStewert]

I don't agree with this policy.  Cutting off body parts before you even step foot on the field seems excessive.  Let the guy heal naturally.

I don't think an ingrown toenail can heal naturally and if it does it is only temporary. 

[CF DolFan]

Is a toe nail actually a body part?

[Pats2006]

Dont they rip the toenail off then burn your toe so it dont grow back?

[BeefStewert]

I've had about 1/5 of both my big toenails removed.  They put acid on the nail bed to try to kill it and prevent the nail from growing back in the trouble area.  However, from my readings (and experience) it only takes about 50% of the time. 

[ADeadSmitty]

TTIWWOP