KU Jayhawk Darryn Peterson discusses injury situation in video on YouTube
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Peterson posted a YouTube video addressing hamstring injury and social criticism.
- He says rehab focuses on RDLs, strength and flexibility before game return.
- Peterson pledges to play only when fully ready
Kansas Jayhawks freshman men’s basketball guard Darryn Peterson, who has missed the last seven games because of a strained hamstring, on Saturday released a video on his YouTube channel offering his version of his injury situation.
In the video, Peterson addresses comments on social media site X and various message boards and podcasts wondering if this is a load-management issue rather than merely a player rehabbing from injury. Peterson is expected to be a top-3 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft after playing one season of college basketball.
“They’ve been mad at me on Twitter and stuff saying I’m stealing money and doing all type of stuff, but I love the game. I’m never going to just sit out because hoop (is) my life, how I feed the ‘fam’ so never would I just sit out just to sit out,” Peterson said on a video on his Darryn Peterson YouTube channel entitled “Darryn Peterson Episode 4: The Come back.”
Peterson did not say in the video if he’d play in Sunday’s game against Missouri, set for a 12 p.m. noon tipoff in T-Mobile Center.
KU coach Bill Self said Friday he thought Peterson, a 6-foot-6 Canton, Ohio native, would be available “unless he has a setback between now and game time.”
“Definitely (his return will be) sooner than later,” Peterson, a McDonald’s All-American, said on his video. “I don’t know yet exactly. I’m still doing tests, starting to practice and stuff now and feel it out.”
He said he would not play “until I feel like I’m ready to play ... because when I play I’m going 110%. I can’t really go out and not be a hundred (percent) because I feel like I’m cheating the game, cheating my teammates, cheating my coach. Unless I feel I can go out there and compete at the level I can compete at … I’ll be back.”
Peterson added: “Whenever I get the opportunity to go out there and play again just expect me to be something different.”
Peterson said he’s been “working super hard for like the last month to get back. I’m excited to get back. Usually when you work out and stuff you are trying to work out to go show it in the game. I’m just grinding right now.”
He said rehab has consisted of “RDL’s plus tons of hamstring workouts, strength and flexibility stuff. (It’s) probably harder to do rehab than it was to practice and play games, I’m not going to lie, because you’ve got to be super consistent.”
Of the (6-3) KU team he’s watched from the bench during the past seven games, he said: “Since I’ve been out we’re 5-2. I think we look great right now. When I get back we’ll be even better.”
Peterson played in the opener against Green Bay and in a road game vs. North Carolina and hasn’t been healthy enough to play since.
“After I found out I had to sit out I was definitely frustrated,” Peterson said. “(It’s) my freshman year of college. I worked so hard to get in this position so for it to be taken away for a little bit, (I’m) frustrated for sure but (it’s) part of the game.”
Upon arriving in college he said he “was just eager to prove (to) everybody and show everybody that the hype was real and the only thing that could really stop me I felt like was an injury and kind of had to face it.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2025 at 8:51 PM.
