No change in Will McKamey's status, family said Navy did nothing wrong
Will McKamey, the Navy slotback who collapsed during practice on Saturday, is still in a coma, according to a statement released by his parents.
“Today Will's condition is very much the same as yesterday. We are counting this as a blessing due to the fact that the brain is very slow in the healing process. We are in for a long road. Please understand that "no change" is still expected and seen as a blessing at this point. We are taking it day at a time.”
McKamey was going through normal drills at practice when he collapsed to the turf. He was airlifted to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center where he underwent surgery. McKamey has remained in a coma every since.
McKamey’s family stressed that his injury was not the result of a hit he suffered during practice. McKamey, a sophomore, has had brain issues before.
“One thing I want you all to know is that Will did not sustain a bad hit or unusual or extreme contact in practice Saturday,” the family said. “The Navy coaches have poured through the films of practice and seen nothing more than Will carrying the football normally, doing what he truly loves.”
As a senior at Grace Christian High School in Tennessee in 2012, McKamey collapsed during a two-point conversion in his team’s final regular season game. He was airlifted from that game and hospitalized, but he did not undergo surgery.
“Since his prior accident in 2012 Will has been seen by four different neurosurgeons, and had 4-6 CAT scans and MRI's to rule out any issue and clear him for contact,” the statement said. “After his prior incident he went without any contact for over nine months to just be safe. We feel obviously there is more going on in his brain than we could have ever detected. I want to be clear that the Navy football program nor us as his parents would have ever allowed him to be in a dangerous situation.”
The family is asking for prayers and privacy during this time, but has been sending updates through Navy’s sports information department.
The family will be making a CaringBridge website to allow those concerned to receive regular updates.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter Follow @YahooDrSaturday
