The father of Florida State football player Ethan Pritchard, who was shot in the back of the head Sunday night, spoke to local media a few days after the shooting about his son.
Earl Pritchard told WFTV-9 that Ethan was shot while driving his aunt home from a family gathering less than 20 miles away from the Florida State campus. He said that the “doctors are waiting for the swelling in his head to decrease before assessing the damage.”
The Gadsden County Sheriff's Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement are continuing to investigate the shooting.
Ethan Pritchard is a freshman linebacker for Florida State who attended Seminole High School in the Central Florida city of Sanford. He did not play in FSU's season-opening win vs. Alabama on Saturday.
Florida State head coach Mike Norvell said he visited Ethan Pritchard, who is now in critical but stable condition, in the hospital and has remained in contact with Earl Pritchard.
“It’s a lot,” Norvell said Wednesday [h/t On3]. “I’m not gonna say it’s not. I try to give the players a daily update. I talked to Ethan’s dad this morning. I’m trying to just check on him, check on Ethan. I was able to go by yesterday just for a short period of time. It was limited visitation, so you get a chance to be there for just a handful of minutes. It was good to be with him.”
Less than a week after the shooting, the Seminoles will take the field again; on Saturday, Florida State hosts FCS East Texas A&M.
