Keyontae Johnson gave his family, friends, and fans a major scare in December in the middle of a game. The junior forward collapsed during the game and was hospitalized after the incident. He has since been released and is now focusing on his academics and his health. The family of the forward announced on Wednesday that the health emergency was not related to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The statement was released after the family consulted with Florida University health officials. These officials reviewed Johnson’s medical records with several medical experts who all came to the same conclusion.
Family says Keyontae Johnson’s condition was NOT related to COVID. Will not resume play this year. https://t.co/ao6CXWJxid
— Dana O’Neil? (@DanaONeilWriter) February 3, 2021
Johnson and his family have decided that he will not return to the team this year. The most important thing is his health moving forward. The lack of a COVID-19 link to Johnson is a good thing, but it remains important to continue to monitor his progress. This is a blow to Florida considering the forward was named the SEC Preseason Player of the Year. He was averaging 16.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game this year with the Gators. Johnson was also shooting 64.1 percent from the field.
His family closed the statement with the following information:
“What comes next for Keyontae is for him to share on his own timeline and using his voice. We continue to be committed to sharing any information that could be helpful to others. Our hope is that the experts’ conclusion that this instance is not COVID-related will bring some peace of mind.”
We here at the Def Pen Hoops team hope that Johnson is able to fully recover from this ordeal and move forward in whichever way he deems the best for himself and his family.
