One week after sustaining serious injuries in a one-car accident, Missouri defensive tackle Harold Brantley has been released from University Hospital.

Brantley, who was not wearing a seat belt in the accident, suffered a broken tibia that required immediate surgery. He also needs surgery for damaged ligaments in his knee and fractured several ribs.

“Harold is making great progress and is no longer at University Hospital,” MU spokesman Chad Moller said Tuesday afternoon, according to The Columbia Tribune. “He’s at a different transitional facility now for a few days and is hopeful of being able to go home near the end of this week.”

The 6-foot-3, 280-pound Brantley started 10 games last year for Mizzou, finishing the season with 5 sacks. Many national and SEC-wide preseason publications touted him as a potential star in 2015, as it looked like he would become the new alpha player in a traditionally-great position group.

There haven’t been any official reports about Brantley’s athletic prognosis, as football has become secondary to his recovery. The athletic department’s initial news release stated that Brantley would have knee surgery at some point in the coming weeks.

A redshirt junior, Brantley will remain eligible in 2016. It likely will be some time before we know whether Brantley still has a future on the football field, but it’s possible he could petition the NCAA for a medical hardship that would extend his college eligibility into ’17.

For now, it’s good to know that he’s making steady progress and that he’s going to be OK regardless. It’s also a reminder to all of us that there’s no reason to avoid wearing our seat belts.