Florida star Keyontae Johnson passes out during game, stretchered off court

By Adam Silverstein
December 12, 2020
Florida star Keyontae Johnson passes out during game, stretchered off court
Basketball

Image Credit: GatorsMBK / Twitter

Florida Gators star junior forward Keyontae Johnson passed out on the court less than four minutes into the team’s Saturday morning game against the No. 20 Florida State Seminoles. Johnson was placed on a stretcher and moved off the court as play eventually continued. He is in “critical but stable condition” at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, according to Florida’s sports information director, and will remain there overnight.

No further information is available on Johnson’s condition at this time, though the Gators released a statement on Sunday.

“We appreciate all the medical personnel who have helped Keyontae,” said athletic director Scott Stricklin. “Keyontae received terrific care on site by the FSU staff and at Tallahassee Memorial, which has worked in consultation with UF Health. We’re glad his parents can be by his side, and they all feel the support of Gator Nation.”

Johnson, the SEC Preseason Player of the Year, had just completed an alley-oop dunk ahead of a media timeout. According to the Gators radio broadcast, Johnson was walking to the top of the arc after breaking the huddle when he fell face-first and laid unconscious on the court.

Footage played by ESPN later Saturday during a college football broadcast showed Johnson’s eyes open on the court but closed on the stretcher. He had a bloody scrape on the right side of his chin, presumably from falling on the hardwood.

Play was delayed only for a few minutes while the Gators huddled with many players crying. Head coach Mike White led the team in a prayer, and it appears to have been a team decision to continue playing.

Florida fell 83-71 to Florida State, its seventh straight loss in the series. The Gators led by nine points before Johnson’s health incident.

White did not speak with the media after the game, citing Johnson’s health as the most important issue at this time. The coach remains in Tallahassee, as does associate AD for sports health Dave Werner, while the rest of the team is back in Gainesville.

Well wishes for Johnson have been sent from across the college sports spectrum, including from Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl.

OnlyGators.com will update this breaking news story as information is made available.

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