Mercer cornerback Khalil Moody was rushed to the hospital after collapsing in the middle of the Bears’ game against Citadel on Saturday.
In the third quarter of the game, the freshman collapsed and lay motionless on the field as a crowd of 10,489 fans at Five Star Stadium held their breath.
Citadel had the ball at the Mercer 17 in the final minute of the third in what appeared to be a routine incomplete pass to the end zone.
As Moody walked to the line of scrimmage after the play, the former Crestwood High School standout fell onto the grass.
The game was delayed for over 15 minutes as medical staff attended to the Sumter native. An ambulance then came to take Moody to a nearby hospital in Macon, Georgia.
Mercer football freshman Khalil Moody collapsed on the field during a game against Citadel
After he was taken to a nearby hospital, Mercer confirmed Moody is in stable condition
Moody was reportedly conscious and talking to medical staff as he left the field.
After the game resumed, Mercer secured a 38-21 win. The win improved the Bears to a 4-0 record and 2-0 in the Southern Conference. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs dropped to 2-2 and 0-1 in SoCon.
On Sunday, Mercer Athletics released a statement to confirm that Moody is in stable condition.
‘Khalil Moody is in stable condition and in good spirits alongside his family as he remains under observation of the healthcare team at Atrium Health Navicent Medical Center in downtown Macon,’ the Bears wrote.
‘He has expressed his appreciation for the support of not only his teammates, coaches, and sports medicine staff but also for the thoughts and prayers from Mercer fans around the world.’
Citadel coach Maurice Drayton also spoke about the incident following the game. He also acknowledged that he talked to Mercer coach Mike Jacobs during the delay about resuming the game.
‘We heard after the game that (Moody) is going to be fine,’ said Drayton. ‘He was awake and talking when the ambulance took him off the field.’
‘At that moment football wasn’t very important,’ Drayton said. ‘We talked about stopping the game. I told Coach Jacobs that whatever they decided to do, we’d obliged in honor of that young man. They wanted to play, and we wanted to play and we finished the game.’
