Houston Cougar cornerback D.J. Hayden was close to death when he suffered massive internal bleeding after a routine collision with a teammate in practice.
The Houston team doctor said 95 percent of those who suffered the kind of injury Hayden did dies. He tore the inferior vena cava, the large vein that carries blood from the lower half of the body back to the heart. That injury is unprecedented on a football field.
“This injury has never been seen or reported in association with a football injury and is more associated with high-speed motor vehicle injuries,” head team physician Dr. Walter Lowe said in a release. “The type of injury D.J. had is 95 percent fatal in the field and we are all very thankful for the coordinate response from the University of Houston trainers, EMS paramedics, the trauma team at Memorial Hermann and operating surgeon Dr. John Holcomb.”
Given his low odds of survival at the time of the injury, and that it happened on a football field during practice, the efforts to save Hayden’s life had to be incredible. The school said Hayden is in stable yet critical condition, according to CougarsDen.com.
Hayden, a senior, was Conference USA’s Newcomer of the Year last season and was earned second team All Conference.
“D.J. is a tremendous young man and has been a great asset to our program, both on and off the field,” coach Tony Levine said. “I ask that everyone continue to keep D.J. and his family in their thoughts and prayers. We are very fortunate to have some of the nation’s top physicians and medical facilities just minutes away from our campus and I would like to extend our appreciation for their efforts on Tuesday evening. We thank you for respecting the privacy of D.J. and his family at this time. We look forward to supporting D.J. on his road to recovery.”
