USC's Johnson gives mom thumbs-up

[tjw61]

USC's Johnson gives mom thumbs-up

USC tailback Stafon Johnson is awake and communicating via writing and hand signals less than a day after emergency surgery to repair throat injuries from a weightlifting accident, according to a doctor at the hospital where he is being treated.

Dr. Gudata Hinika, the trauma medical director at California Hospital Medical Center, said Johnson is giving thumbs-up signs and communicating in writing to his mother and teammates after undergoing a seven-hour surgery to repair a crushed neck and larynx.

Johnson is in critical but stable condition, the hospital told ESPN's Shelley Smith.

Johnson, a senior who scored the seventh-ranked Trojans' go-ahead touchdown against Ohio State two weeks ago, was bench-pressing Monday when the bar slipped from his right hand and fell onto his throat.

Stan Johnson, the player's father, told ESPN's Smith that his son needed a tracheotomy to enable him to breathe.

Hinika said a man of lesser stature would have died from the injuries, but the thickness of Johnson's neck muscles helped him to breathe and probably saved his life.

Johnson is expected to fully recover, Hinika said, but the doctor would not speculate on the recovery prognosis for the player's vocal cords. It may take as long as six weeks before doctors even ask Johnson to attempt to speak, depending on factors such as swelling, he explained.

Doctors are trying to wean Johnson off a ventilator, and he is being fed through a tube in his stomach.

Johnson is unlikely to play again for USC, but coach Pete Carroll is grateful for the team leader's improved health.

"He's not talking, but he was doing his wave and writing," Carroll said. "It's very uplifting for his mom and his family and all the guys who got a chance to go down there."

The news was greeted with sighs of relief at USC's Heritage Hall, where the seventh-ranked Trojans gathered before Tuesday's practice in preparation for Saturday's key game at No. 24 California.

"We're connected. This is a very tight program and a very tight team," Carroll said. "Stafon has been a spiritual leader and a leader on the field for a long time here. We're going to do everything we can to support him and his family. This morning, everyone has been encouraged."

Johnson, who was taken away from USC's campus wearing a neck brace, woke up Tuesday morning after undergoing an emergency tracheotomy, followed by reconstructive surgery. Immediately after the accident, Johnson was coughing up blood, a source close to the USC football program told ESPN's Smith.

Johnson's mother, Kim Mallory, happened to be working at the same downtown Los Angeles hospital where her son was transported Monday.

An assistant strength and conditioning coach was standing over Johnson at the time of the accident.

"I've seen players have the bar slip and fall onto their chest, but never in my 25 years of coaching have I heard of someone dropping a bar on their throat," said head strength and conditioning coach Chris Carlisle, who was standing 10 feet away at the time of the accident. "We're fortunate he was being spotted."

Johnson, a 5-foot-11, 210-pound senior from Compton, Calif., is the Trojans' second-leading rusher and goal-line specialist. He's rushed 32 times for 157 yards this year and leads the team with five touchdowns. He entered the season with 1,395 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.

[ken]

I hope he is using the school to get a good education because football is over.