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Ethan Pritchard receives warm welcome from Florida State crowd at Virginia Tech game

Chandler Vesselsby: Chandler Vessels10 hours agoChandlerVessels
eithan pritchard

Cheers filled Doak S. Campbell Stadium on Saturday as Florida State linebacker Ethan Pritchard was shown on the video board. Pritchard was in attendance at Saturday’s contest against Virginia Tech after winning a battle for his life earlier this year.

The Seminoles linebacker was shot in the head after a Week 1 victory against Alabama and spent 39 days in the hospital before being released on Oct. 9. He was then transferred to Brooks Rehabilitation in Jacksonville to continue his recovery and was released from there earlier this week.

It’s been a long road to recovery that is still ongoing, but it’s definitely good to see Pritchard making progress. He arrived in a mobilized wheelchair with his father, Earl, and was all smiles when shown on the video board during the game.

Pritchard also participated in the Legacy Walk on Saturday before the game against the Hokies. He carried the team’s hammer, an honor that typically goes to the player who had the best week of practice.

Pritchard was also in attendance at the team’s practice this week. It marked his first trip back to the field since the shooting, and he is determined to continue to make progress and eventually return to the field next season. His father also told ESPN that he expects Pritchard to return to classes in January.

The incident occurred while Pritchard was dropping off his aunt and a 3-year-old cousin near the Havana Heights Apartments, located roughly 25 minutes away from the Tallahassee campus. On the scene, Ethan Pritchard was found wounded inside a vehicle.

Now months after the scary incident, Ethan Pritchard continues to receive support from the Florida State community. Saturday was only the latest example, as a GoFundMe started for him has raised more than $148,000 already.

Pritchard’s father said that they plan to return back home in Samford, Florida, while also making trips back to Jacksonville to receive treatment. He knows the road ahead is a long one, but it has been made slightly easier thanks to the support the team has given the family.

“I am so thankful for everyone who has prayed for my son. There have been a lot of ups and downs over these last 39 days, and it is remarkable that Ethan and I were able to leave the hospital together today,” Earl Pritchard said in a statement released by Florida State, via Warchant. “I want to especially thank Dr. Albert Lee and his team, the ECMO team and the nurses on the third and fourth floors at TMH for the care and medical expertise they have provided Ethan. Coach (Mike) Norvell has checked in every day and has been a constant presence visiting us here at the hospital, and his players and staff have continued to make us feel part of the team.

“I can’t fully express how much those moments have meant to me and Ethan. The Florida State Sports Medicine staff has provided consistent communication and collaboration with the wonderful doctors at TMH.”