South Alabama tight end DJ Thomas-Jones was conscious and moving all his extremities at a local hospital after collapsing on the sideline during the third quarter of the Jaguars’ 20-17 victory at Louisiana on Saturday, head coach Kane Wommack said.
Thomas-Jones, a junior from Saraland, was tended to on the sideline by South Alabama trainers and stadium medical personnel for some 10 minutes before being placed on a backboard. He had a pulse-monitoring device on his finger and was conscious as he was carted off the field and taken to Ochsner Lafayette Medical Center near campus.
“He’s OK, he’s moving his hands, feet, all those things, he’s conscious,” head coach Kane Wommack said. “We’ve got people over there right now checking on him, communicating with his family and we’ll see how he’s doing.”
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Wommack said it was not immediately clear when Thomas-Jones might be discharged from the hospital or if he would travel home with the South Alabama team. A South Alabama spokesman said Thomas-Jones was still at the hospital as of 8:40 p.m., some 2 1/2 hours after he first fell ill.
“Those are scary things,” Wommack said. “Credit our team of doctors, our training staff, great help from Louisiana. And at that point, football means nothing. It was all about taking care of that young man. I thought everyone was on the spot; they knew what to do. And we got him to the hospital and got him a good position.”
Thomas-Jones had a similar incident in 2020 while playing at Ole Miss, when he collapsed during practice and spent a night in the hospital. He later returned to the team with no apparent ill effects.
Thomas-Jones joined the South Alabama team in January as a Division I transfer. He has seven receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown this season.
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