Ole Miss' Damarcus Thomas to Be Released from Hospital After Serious Injury

Ole Miss tight end Damarcus Thomas is being released from the hospital after suffering a serious injury at practice Monday, assistant athletic director Pat Jernigan announced.

"Damarcus is doing well," Jernigan said in a statement. "All of his medical tests cam back normal, and he is being released from the hospital. Our physicians will be following up with him in the coming days for further evaluation."

Head coach Lane Kiffin originally said Thomas had been unresponsive but later told reporters the 18-year-old had some feeling and movement before he was airlifted to a hospital directly from the practice field.  

The university later updated Thomas' condition, saying he "has regained movement in all of his extremities and the physicians are optimistic."

Per David Johnson of 247Sports, Kiffin, who is divorced, "said he called his son's mom and told her he could care less if his son ever plays football again after seeing DaMarcus Thomas' injury at practice this morning."

Kiffin asked for prayers for Thomas on Monday afternoon:

"Obviously hopefully this is some severe stinger," Kiffin told reporters. "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."

When news of Thomas' release from the hospital broke, Kiffin sent along his best wishes via Twitter:

Kiffin, who has been coaching 20 years, said he's never seen an injury like the one Thomas sustained. He immediately ended practice. 

"We're all just in shock," running back Jerrion Ealy added. "I can't really say too much about it because it's just shocking. It's one of those freak accidents that happens on a football field that you only hear about and you never see. It's kind of eye-opening."

Thomas is a freshman tight end who has played in five games this season, though he hasn't recorded any catches. The 6'1", 245-pound Thomas joined Ole Miss as a 3-star prospect out of Saraland, Alabama.