TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida forward Keyontae Johnson remained in critical but stable condition at a hospital, the team reported Sunday, one day after he collapsed on the court during a game at Florida State.

There was no change in Johnson’s condition from Saturday, when he was also critical but stable at Tallahassee Memorial.

No details have been released about what might have caused Johnson to crumple to the floor as teams came out of a timeout early in the game.

The Southeastern Conference’s preseason player of the year was moved to a stretcher and carried off the court as teammates, coaches, staff, fans and others watched in disbelief.

ESPN declined to show any footage of the incident. According to some who witnessed Johnson’s medical emergency, he was standing and suddenly fell forward and landed on his face. His eyes were open and he had blood on his face and neck, according to photos obtained by The Gainesville Sun.

The Gators announced that Johnson was in critical and stable condition less than an hour after his ordeal. The American Hospital Association defines patients in critical but stable condition as having “vital signs that are unstable and not within normal limits. Patient may be unconscious. Indicators are unfavorable.”

Advertisement

Florida sent one of its jets to Norfolk, Virginia, to get Johnson’s parents Saturday and take them to Tallahassee to be with their son.

“We appreciate all the medical personnel who have helped Keyontae,” Florida Athletic Director Scott Stricklin said in a statement. “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.”

Like many of his Florida teammates, Johnson tested positive for COVID-19 during the summer. Although the cause of Johnson’s collapse was not immediately known, the coronavirus can lead to myocarditis, a viral infection of the heart muscle. At its most severe, myocarditis can lead to sudden cardiac arrest and has been a documented cause of death for young, otherwise healthy athletes.

The Southeastern Conference mandates strict protocols, including rigorous heart testing, before players can be cleared to return to play following positive COVID-19 tests.

(3) IOWA 106, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 53: Luka Garza scored 23 points and Joe Wieskamp added 20 as the Hawkeyes (6-0) routed the Huskies (0-5) in Iowa City, Iowa.

(4) MICHIGAN STATE 109, OAKLAND 91: Gabe Brown scored a career-high 20 points, and the Spartans (6-0) used a 13-0 run early in the second half to pull away from the Grizzlies (0-7) in Lansing, Michigan.

Advertisement

(11) WEST VIRGINIA 87, (19) RICHMOND 71: Miles McBride scored 20 points and the Mountaineers (5-1) rode a hot-shooting first half to a victory over the Spiders (4-1) in Morgantown, West Virginia.

(22) OHIO STATE 67, CLEVELAND STATE 61: Duane Washington Jr. scored 17 points, and the Buckeyes (5-0) held off the Vikings (0-3) in Columbus, Ohio.

(23) ARIZONA STATE 71, GRAND CANYON 70: Remy Martin hit a 3-pointer with 9 seconds left and scored 31 points, lifting the Sun Devils (4-2) past the Antelopes (4-1) in Phoenix.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

(4) NORTH CAROLINA STATE 75, BOSTON COLLEGE 69: Kayla Jones scored 25 points, and Elissa Cunane had 23 points with 15 rebounds as the Wolfpack (6-0, 1-1 Atlantic Coast) rallied from a 16-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Eagles (4-2, 0-2) in Boston.’

(9) KENTUCKY 88, SAMFORD 54: Chasity Patterson scored 16 points for the Wildcats (6-0) in a win over the visiting Bulldogs (1-5).

Advertisement

FOOTBALL

AUBURN: Coach Gus Malzahn, who led the Tigers to the national championship game in his first season but could never replicate that success, has been fired.

Athletic Director Allen Greene announced the decision a day after the Tigers finished the regular season with a 24-10 victory over Mississippi State. Auburn is 6-4 in a pandemic-shortened season against all Southeastern Conference opponents, losing by double digits to highly ranked teams Alabama, Georgia and Texas A&M.

Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele will be interim coach. Auburn will owe Malzahn a $21.45 million buyout for the remaining four years of a seven-year, $49 million deal.

Malzahn went 68-35 in eight seasons and was 39-27 against SEC opponents.

ILLINOIS: Coach Lovie Smith was fired with a game left in the program’s ninth consecutive losing season.

Advertisement

Smith became the school’s first Black head football coach when he was hired in March 2016. The longtime NFL coach went 17-39 in five seasons at Illinois.

VIRGINIA: The Cavaliers announced that their season is over and they will not be entertaining an invitation to a postseason game. The school said the decision came after the program’s captains and other leaders met with the team to discuss the postseason.

Virginia (5-5, 4-5 Atlantic Coast) had its regular season end Saturday in a 33-15 loss at Virginia Tech.

AP POLL: Coastal Carolina moved up to No. 9 in the first top-10 shakeup in more than a month.

Alabama was a unanimous No. 1, followed by Notre Dame, Ohio State, Clemson and Texas A&M as those teams held their spots for a sixth straight week.

Surprising losses by Florida and Miami shuffled the rest of the top 10. No. 6 Cincinnati and No. 7 Indiana each moved up one spot and No. 8 Iowa State jumped two.

Coastal Carolina (11-0), became the first Sun Belt Conference team to crack the AP’s top 10.

 

Comments are not available on this story.