According to Keyontae Johnson, he was diagnosed with acute myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart Gainesville sun.
Johnson, selected as pre-season SEC player of the year at the University of Florida, collapsed on December 12 in a game against the state of Florida. He was rushed to a local hospital, listed in critical but stable condition. Two days later, his health improved and he was listed in stable condition.
Today, Johnson He was released from the hospital.
One statementJohnson’s parents made sure they did not “draw definitive conclusions” about their son’s “illness.”
But according to a source in Zach Abolverdi, a Gators sports writer for Gainesville Sun, Johnson was diagnosed with acute myocarditis after receiving an MRI on his heart. Abolverdi says the source was a person with “direct knowledge” of the situation who “spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity [sic] situation. “
Johnson, along with other UF teammates, tested positive for COVID-19 over the summer.
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Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart, is most often caused by viral infections and has been linked to COVID-19.
Abolverdi writes that Johnson’s reported condition “cannot be definitively linked to his diagnosis of COVID,” but “could lead the SEC and other conferences to further test athletes who contracted the virus, as inflammation could develop.” subsequent”.
In the 1990s, myocarditis was found in the star Loyola Marymount Hank Gathers and the great NBA, Reggie Lewis, two basketball players died on the field in the first half of the decade. Like Johnson, Gathers collapsed in the middle of a game, later succumbing to heart disease. Lewis also collapsed during a game, recovered and was allowed to play before collapsing again during a workout and later died of heart disease.
According to SEC protocols, Gator athletes who tested positive for the virus had to undergo multiple cardiac screenings.
Johnson was considered a potential NBA player before the start of the season.
Abolverdi says Johnson will be out for at least three months and will “probably” miss the rest of the 2020-2021 college basketball season.
This is a developing story.