Indiana Wide Receiver Isaac Griffith In Medically Induced Coma After Swimming Accident; Still Critical
ByIsaac Griffith, a freshman wide receiver at Indiana University, is in critical condition following a swimming accident at a beach in Sarasota, Fla.
According to the Indianapolis Star, Griffith and Indiana teammates Ty Smith and Nick Stoner, as well as someone named Mitch McCune, were swimming at Siesta Key Beach when the incident occurred.
The Sarasota County Sherriff's Office said in a report the four had been drinking alcohol Monday before getting into the water to swim. All four were pulled away from the shore by a current, but it was Griffith who ended up "approximately 15 yards past the swim buoy, where he started to go into distress," the report stated.
The other three managed to pull Griffith ashore before calling 911 and performing CPR. Despite remaining unconscious, Griffith had a pulse and was breathing, although briefly and inconsistently.
Griffith then received "promising" results from a "normal" CAT scan at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Early Tuesday, Griffith's father Shannon, head football coach at Manchester University, released a statement on Twitter in a series of posts.
Altogether, it reads:
"My family needs all the prayers we can for our son Isaac who is in critical condition following a water accident involving a rip current," he wrote. "My wife and I are boarding a plane to Sarasota to be by his side, our faith in God is our strength. His condition is stable but still critical at this point in a medically induced coma to allow his lungs to heal other burials are positive at this time. We ask for your thoughts and prayers. #PrayForIsaac."
He released another series of tweets hours later, after arriving at the hospital.
"My wife, Kim, and I have been at Isaac's bedside since 2 AM we are encouraged with his progress in ICU but we have small battles to face and are asking for your thoughts and prayers. We have great care surrounding him, we have placed this battle in God's, and we look for the small battles he has over come," Shannon Griffith wrote. "His vitals are stable but we still need for continue prayer for his lungs. He is still in medical induce coma and on a ventilator to help his lungs heal. My wife and I want to thank all that have reached out we are truly thankful for positive words and loving messages. I want to thank #HoosierNation and players who have been with Isaac or who reached out to us. We are a family of strength and faith. You can be assured we will #KeepChoppin and #PrayForIke."
Isaac is still in critical condition and a hospital spokeswoman has said the family has asked for privacy as he continues to try and recover. Indiana University has been notified of the incident and released the following statement.
"We are aware of Isaac Griffith's condition. Our prayers are with Isaac and his family and we ask Hoosier Nation to keep the Griffith family in their thoughts."