There’s been some encouraging news released on the status of McKenzie Milton., although it appears the one-time Heisman Trophy contender still has an arduous journey ahead of him.
In their most recent statement concerning their son, the parents of the UCF quarterback revealed that “blood flow has been restored to his right leg and his nerve is injured but intact.” The family added that, "[a]t a later time, he will have reconstructive surgery to repair his knee.”
Below is the family’s statement, in its entirety:On behalf of our son, Mckenzie Milton, and our family, we want to thank the doctors and nurses at Tampa General Hospital and the University of South Florida and UCF medical staff and athletic trainers for their teamwork and prompt attention to McKenzie’s injuries.
“His blood flow has been restored to his right leg and his nerve is injured but intact. He is recovering and healing and is receiving the best medical care. At a later time, he will have reconstructive surgery to repair his knee. That date has not been determined at this time.
“Mckenzie and our entire family are so touched and grateful for the prayers, support, and well wishes. Mckenzie is in good spirits and has a very positive attitude. He looks forward to cheering on his teammates in their quest for another conference championship this Saturday.
“At this time, Mckenzie would like to maintain his privacy to get the proper rest, medical care, and healing before he grants any interviews. We appreciate everyone’s understanding of this request. Knight Nation is part of our Ohana and we feel very blessed as a family. Aloha. Mark & Teresa Milton.
In the second quarter of UCF’s win over rival USF Friday evening, Milton went down with a horrific and gruesome injury to his right leg. Medical personnel immobilized the quarterback’s entire leg before he was taken to a local hospital for further treatment of an injury that his head coach, Josh Heupel, deemed “traumatic.”
It was subsequently confirmed that Milton underwent emergency surgery to repair unspecified damage in his knee as well as what was described as “other internal issues.” Saturday afternoon, McKenzie’s family issued a statement in which they described the surgery as being successful but provided no details on the specific nature of the injury.
Monday, one of Milton’s teammates, Jordan Johnson, confirmed that he had FaceTimed with Milton recently and that the quarterback stated he was able to take steps for the first time since the surgery was performed Friday night and on into Saturday morning.