Basketball Star Collapses Face-First

Keyontae Johnson had just dunked the ball and celebrated
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 13, 2020 1:25 PM CST

Alley-oop, celebrate ... and collapse. Florida Gators basketball star Keyontae Johnson fell face-first on the court Saturday after his team had broken a huddle, TMZ reports. His teammates shouted for help and Johnson was taken away on a stretcher to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, where he's in critical but stable condition. So what happened? Johnson did test positive this summer for COVID-19, and ESPN notes that the coronavirus can trigger a viral heart-muscle infection called myocarditis, which is "common for athletes." The fact that Johnson had just celebrated after dunking the ball against the Florida Seminoles might play a role—but no details have emerged yet. "Please keep praying for @Keyontae and his family," Gators coach Mike White tweeted Saturday. "We all love him." (More basketball stories.)

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