Lions' Joseph Fauria injured ankle while trying to stop peeing puppy

Detroit Lions tight end Joseph Fauria found out the hard way how difficult potty-training a puppy can be. 

Fauria was sidelined for the Lions' Week 4 game with a sprained left ankle, which he said occurred when he slipped on his stairs while trying to prevent his three-month-old puppy, Lil' Rufio, from peeing inside his house.

"Long story short, I was at home after I went to go hang out with some friends on Wednesday night at a little volleyball event, if you guys want to talk about that, and then it wasn't until like 11 o'clock, hanging out with my dog and he did something bad and he ran away from me," Fauria told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

"I wasn't running downstairs, but I kind of like was doing it a little faster than usual and I missed the last two steps and my carpet goes to hardwood and I was wearing socks and I just put all my weight on my left foot and it was kind of in agonizing pain."

Fauria shot down rumors that he suffered the injury during a recreational volleyball game, and said alcohol was not contributing factor.

"No," he said. "I don't know if they took my blood or toxicology report or whatever (at the hospital), but I'm fine. I was pretty sober, sadly. It wouldn't have hurt as much if I drank."

He also said Lil' Rufio wasn't entirely to blame for the injury.

"I hate to blame it on Lil' Rufio," Fauria said. "But it is kind of his fault, and my fault, too, for not being athletic enough to catch myself."

Brandon Pettigrew and Eric Ebron shared snaps at tight end in Fauria's absence, and will likely continue to do so until he returns.