The University of Florida men's basketball team experienced a scary scene when Gators junior Keyontae Johnson collapsed during the team's 83-71 loss against Florida State over the weekend.
Johnson was transported to the hospital, where he was deemed to be in critical but stable condition. According to his grandfather, Larry DeJarnett, Johnson is now in a medically induced coma after being moved from Tallahassee to a Gainesville hospital.
DeJarnett gave a brief but harrowing description of Johnson's status:
“They’re just not sure,” DeJarnett told USA TODAY Sports. “He may have had activity in the brain, so they induced the coma. They put him on medication to keep him sedated.”
DeJarnett added doctors hoped he would come out of the coma at some point on Monday afternoon.
There are plenty of unknowns with respect to Keyontae Johnson's situation. The most pressing question seems to be whether his condition is somehow connected to COVID-19, though there does not appear to be a ton of clarity on that front.
Florida had internal issues stemming from COVID-19, and the program had to pause all activities as a result.
DeJarnett said he did not know whether his grandson ever contracted the virus:
“I know that there was some of the times when some of the team was quarantined, yes. I don’t know if he was one of them or not,” DeJarnett said, via USA TODAY.
Johnson was selected as the SEC's preseason Player of the Year. He dominated in each of the team's first three wins, including a 24-point, 12-rebound performance against Boston College.
Obviously, the Gators are far more concerned with Keyontae Johnson's overall health after such a scary and saddening occurrence. Let's hope the Florida star pulls through this and is able to resume his promising career at some point down the road.
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