Nearly a week after Florida Gators hoops star Keyontae Johnson collapsed during a game against Florida State, which left him hospitalized and in critical condition. Friday, Johnson posted a video on Twitter, thanking everyone for their support.
In the video, Johnson thanked fans for their support and prayers. He also thanked the doctors and medical staff.
"Hey everybody. First and foremost, I’d like to thank God. I know y’all have been sending your prayers out the last few weeks, and me and my parents are very grateful for the prayers going out,” Johnson said in the video. “To all the doctors and medical staff … I do want to say thank you for all the support y’all gave me — especially to the lady that was in the gym at Florida State. To my Gator Nation and the UF athletic family, I just want to thank you for all the prayers that you gave onto me. Go Gators.”
“Write your own story” God said my work here ain’t done 💙🤞🏽 pic.twitter.com/hJHlBIJmdg
— Keyontae (@Keyontae) December 18, 2020
On Saturday, Johnson collapsed after his team was coming out of a timeout against the Seminoles. He was rushed to a Tallahassee hospital but was then transferred to UF Health in Gainsville. He was listed in critical but stable condition Monday, according to a Gators press release.
In an interview with USA Today, Johnson's grandfather Larry DeJarnett said that doctors placed his grandson into a medically induced coma earlier on Monday.
By Tuesday, Johnson was upgraded to stable condition and started breathing on his own and responding to simple commands, according to Sports Illustrated.
On Thursday, Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin released a statement saying that Johnson showed “truly encouraging signs of progress," which was evident in Johnson's video on Friday.
The cause of Johnson’s collapse is unknown, but DeJarnett told USA Today that he did not know if his grandson suffered from COVID-19, but said: "some of the team was quarantined."
The Gators announced Thursday that their next three games - Saturday against Florida Atlantic, Sunday against Florida A&M, and Tuesday against James Madison — have been postponed.
"This has been an emotionally taxing time for Keyontae's family, friends, and teammates," Stricklin said. "Our hope is that everyone impacted will take an opportunity to process those emotions and regroup ahead of the start of the new year."
