Florida basketball star Keytonae Johnson’s season is officially over nearly two months after his scary collapse during a Dec. 12 contest at Florida State led to his hospitalization for nine days.
Johnson’s family announced his status Wednesday via the Gators’ basketball Twitter account, ruling out a link between his health scare and a bout with COVID-19 suffered by the 21-year-old and some of his teammates during the offseason.
Johnson's parents said their son had been examined by not only UF Health physicians, but doctors from the Cardiac and Vascular Institute of Gainesville, University of Washington Center for Sports Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard University, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Yale University School of Medicine.
“The unanimous conclusion of all experts is that Keyontae’s medical emergency was not related to or a result of a previous or current COVID diagnosis,” the statement read. “We continue to be committed to sharing any information that could be helpful to others. Our hope is that the experts’ conclusion that this instance is not COVID-related will bring some peace of mind.”
Johnson’s situation promoted calls for more transparency about his condition — especially if it could help other players avoid health complications. Following the incident at FSU, Johnson was rushed to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.
He arrived at UF Health two days later in critical but stable condition. USA Today reported Johnson’s grandfather, Larry DeJarnett, said his grandson had been placed in a medically induced coma, but doctors would bring him out of it in Gainesville.
Many feared the worst for Johnson following his collapse, but his recovery soon accelerated and led to his Dec. 21 release from the hospital. Johnson soon would rejoin his teammates, serving as a scout, coach and mentor.
“Our focus now is on Keyontae’s academics and continued recovery,” the Johnson family statement read. “His resilience has been inspiring to watch. He will spend the rest of the season focused on being the best coach and teammate he can be.
“What comes next for Keyontae is for him to share on his own timeline and using his voice.”
Johnson, a 6-foot-5, 229-pound forward from Norfolk, Va., was voted the preseason SEC Player of the Year. He entered the FSU game leading the Gators with a scoring average of 19.7 points.
The Gators postponed four games and went two weeks without practicing.
UF coach Mike White and his staff revamped the team’s offense and overall philosophy. The No. 22 Gators (10-4, 6-3 SEC) entered Wednesday’s night visit from South Carolina on a four-game win streak and ranked for the first time since the fall of 2019.
