College football player rushed to hospital after collapsing on the field in horrifying scenes
Mercer cornerback Khalil Moody was rushed to the hospital after passing out during the Bears’ game against Citadel on Saturday.
In the third quarter of the game, the freshman collapsed and lay motionless on the field as the 10,489 fans packed into Five Star Stadium held their breath.
Citadel had the ball on Mercer’s 17-yard line in the final minute of the third period in what appeared to be a routine, incomplete pass to the end zone.
As Moody walked to the line of scrimmage after the play, the former Crestwood High School star fell to the grass.
The game was delayed for more than 15 minutes as medical personnel attended to the Sumter native, before an ambulance arrived to take Moody to a nearby hospital in Macon, Georgia.
Mercer Football freshman Khalil Moody collapsed on the field during a game against Citadel
After being taken to a nearby hospital, Mercer confirmed that Moody is in stable condition
Moody was reportedly conscious and speaking to medical staff as he left the field.
After play resumed, Mercer claimed a 38-21 victory. The win moved the Bears to a 4-0 record and 2-0 in the Southern Conference. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs fell to 2-2 and 0-1 in the SoCon.
On Sunday, Mercer Athletics issued a statement confirming that Moody is in stable condition.
“Khalil Moody is in stable condition and, along with his family, is in good spirits. He continues to be monitored by the medical team at Atrium Health Navicent Medical Center in downtown Macon,” the Bears wrote.
“He expressed his appreciation for the support of not only his teammates, coaches and sports medicine staff, but also for the thoughts and prayers of Mercer fans around the world.”
Citadel coach Maurice Drayton also spoke about the incident after the game. He also acknowledged that he had spoken to Mercer coach Mike Jacobs about restarting the game during the delay.
“We heard after the game that (Moody) is fine,” Drayton said. “He was awake and talking when the ambulance took him off the field.”
“At that point, football wasn’t that important,” Drayton said. “We talked about stopping the game. I told Coach Jacobs that whatever they decided to do, we were going to stick with that young man. They wanted to play, and we wanted to play, and we finished the game.”