Ole Miss freshman tight end airlifted from practice after hit causes temporary paralysis

OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss tight end DeMarcus Thomas was airlifted from the university’s practice field in Oxford, Mississippi, on Monday after sustaining a blow that left him temporarily numb and immobile.

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Head coach Lane Kiffin told reporters initially that Thomas “was hit and hasn’t moved since,” but he later said the freshman from Whatley, Alabama, had regained some movement and feeling in his body, ESPN reported.

“I don’t know what that means exactly, but it sure feels like great news compared to what it was,” Kiffin told the sports news network late Monday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Kiffin told The Clarion-Ledger that he’s never personally seen a football injury of this nature during his lifetime.

“Obviously, hopefully this is some severe stinger,” Kiffin told the newspaper.

“I did ask them, the medical staff. They said that that does happen sometimes. I’m just praying that that’s somehow what it is,” he added.

First responders deemed Thomas' injuries too severe for an ambulance transport and instead ordered the helicopter transport for the injured player, the Ledger reported.

An emotional Kiffin told the newspaper that he thought of his own son, Knox, in the moments following Thomas' injury.

“They keep touching (Thomas) going ‘Do you feel this? Do you feel this?’ He keeps saying no, and you’re thinking about your own kid. I don’t know. That’s the first time I’d seen something where I just called Knox’s mom and said I couldn’t care less whether he ever plays football ever after seeing that,” Kiffin told the Ledger.

Thomas, 18, is a three-star prospect who has appeared in five Ole Miss games during the 2020 season, ESPN reported.

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