JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier, shot while sitting in a car outside an apartment complex earlier this month, is paralyzed below the waist and his left leg has been amputated, his doctor said Monday.
Collier, a former Valdosta State star, was on a ventilator for about three weeks and has no memory of the shooting, said Dr. Andy Kerwin, a surgeon for the University of Florida at Shands Jacksonville hospital.
“His overall condition has improved greatly,” Kerwin said. “We expect him to be discharged soon.”
Kerwin said Collier suffered 14 bullet wounds to the back, left groin, left legs and right buttock. In addition, a bullet severed his spinal cord, causing the paralysis. The amputation was the result of damage to his left leg and groin, where blood clots formed. Five bullets alone were removed from his urinary bladder and the 26-year-old player also had bouts of pneumonia, infections and renal failure.
Still, his condition has been upgraded to good from critical.
Collier will undergo physical therapy to learn how to move from his bed to a wheelchair. He will never walk again, the doctor said.
Collier’s agent Jeff Jankovich said the player’s family wanted to make sure Collier understood what had happened to him before releasing details to the public. He said they even kept the Jaguars in the dark.
“He has extreme grief for a lifetime of dreams he won’t be able to fulfill,” the agent said.
Jankovich refused to say specifically when Collier would be released, citing security concerns.
At Valdosta State, where Collier played from 2004-05, those that knew him took the news hard Monday.
“It’s a sad day for Blazer football,” VSU head coach David Dean said. “We still have some players who were freshmen when Richard was a senior, and I had to tell them today at practice. They were all devastated.”
Valdosta State has been wearing stickers on their helmets with Collier’s old No. 75 on them ever since the shooting, and Dean says the team will continue to wear them.
Dean, who was the offensive coordinator for Valdosta State when Collier played for the Blazers, has fond memories of the 6-foot-7, 345-pound tackle.
“He was a happy guy, who always had a smile on his face,” Dean recalled. “We never had a lick of trouble with him. He was always a good kid.”
“He always dreamed of playing professional football, and he was close to becoming a starter, which I know was a big deal to him,” the coach added. “It’s just hard to believe. It’s something you don’t want to believe, but unfortunately it’s true. It’s just senseless. They talked to some of the people that were there at the club that night, and they all said he didn’t cause any trouble.”
Collier and former teammate Kenneth Pettway were waiting for two women outside an apartment complex early Sept. 2 when a gunman fired into the vehicle, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Pettway was not injured.
The motive behind the attack on Collier is unknown, but investigators said earlier he appeared to be targeted. Police have made no arrests in the shooting.
Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio and several players attended the news conference.
“It’s a tragedy this young man was caught up in this violence,” Del Rio said. “It’s a great tragedy for a young man who had such a promising future.”
Offensive tackle Tony Pashos said the attack on Collier has been difficult for his teammates. “I think about him a lot,” he said.
Collier was in his third year with the NFL after graduating from Valdosta State.
He was the third NFL player shot in the past 18 months. Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor was fatally shot during what police said was a botched burglary attempt at his Miami-area home in November. Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was killed when his rented limousine was sprayed with bullets minutes after leaving a New Year’s party at a club in 2007.
Local Sports
Ex-Blazer Richard Collier paralyzed
Lineman was shot while sitting in a car earlier this month in Jacksonville
- Local Sports
-
-
Nelson looks for repeat performance at Newberry
When Valdosta State’s depth chart came out the week of the Wingate game, something didn’t look right.
Ronnye Nelson, a three-year starter at running back and a captain as a junior, was missing from the starting lineup.
Not only that, Nelson wasn’t even on the two-deep roster. -
VHS freshmen win opener
The Valdosta freshman football team rushed for 202 yards, and took advantage of four Colquitt County turnovers to defeat the ninth-grade Packers 21-12 on Tuesday at Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium.
Malcolm Joseph ran for 177 yards on 12 carries, and Nelson Herring added 51 more for the Wildcats, who spotted the Packers a 6-0 lead. -
Notes from the Rance Gillespie Coach’s Show
Valdosta High head football coach Rance Gillespie was happy to get another victory last Friday. The Wildcats routed Hardaway 36-0 at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. They scored 29 points in the first half, and for the second week in a row, did not allow any points.
-
Blazers refocusing
Valdosta State played one of its most thrilling season openers in its 29-year history last Saturday, when it beat Wingate 25-22 with a field goal as time expired.
Now it’s time to move on. -
Notes from the Lowndes High Coaches’ Show
The Lowndes Vikings lost to the McEachern Indians 23-22 in Powder Springs on Friday. Vikings head coach Randy McPherson said it was a tough game against a very good team. He said that although his team came up short, it was a great opportunity. He added that the Vikings now know what they have to work on and prepare for the rest of the season. “We haven’t lost a region game, we haven’t lost a playoff game,” McPherson said. “We’ll get better.”
-
Notes from the David Dean Show
The Valdosta State Blazers beat Wingate 25-22 on Saturday, when Daniel Andersen kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired. VSU head coach David Dean said that since he came back to coach VSU in 2000, the Blazers hadn’t had a game-winning field goal until Saturday.
-
Player of the Week: Valwood’s Alex Waldron
Six touchdowns.
It’s not often that a player scores six touchdowns in one football game. But that’s what Valwood’s Alex Waldron did last Friday. -
Stewart takes his 1st Cup win of the year
Ten drivers have locked up spots in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
No one is feeling better about his chances than Tony Stewart. -
Column: Blazers stick together
Last week, David Dean told the crowd at his radio show that he really liked his team’s chemistry and unity.
From an outside point of view, that was hard to see. For everyone outside of the coaching staff and locker room, that had to be proven on the field. -
Chesley Gunn repeats as Jack Oliver Invitational champion
Chesley Gunn repeated as the Jack Oliver Invitational champion, shooting a 67 on Sunday and winning the tournament by two strokes at the Valdosta Country Club.
Gunn finished the 54-hole golf tournament with a seven-under-par 209. It was his second consecutive Jack Oliver title. - More Local Sports Headlines
-
