OLATHE, Kan. – An Olathe East football player remains hospitalized, but even though he couldn’t take the field Friday night, teammates and students made sure #9 James McGinnis wasn’t forgotten.
McGinnis, a senior linebacker, collapsed during the Olathe East game a week ago. Though he’s making slow improvements, he has a long a long road ahead.
Since he couldn’t be at the game, his teammates made sure his name and spirit was, wearing #9 on the back of their helmets. As Olathe East ran out as a team, you couldn’t help but feel something was missing from the group.
Those same players stood on the field helplessly as they watched McGinnis collapse. His friends finished the game without him and once again they ran onto the field without #9.
But even though the senior linebacker wasn’t there, he ran alongside each and every player on the field.
“They’re rallying around this cause and uniting around it,” Olathe Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Dr. Erin Dugan said.
Family asked for privacy and preferred that friends not speak to the media, so students created quiet reminders like T-shirts and banners at every corner.
“They want him to know that he’s in their thoughts and they’re thinking of him tonight as they watch this team come out and play ball,” Dr. Dugan said.
His family released this statement, which includes good news that James is now breathing on his own:
“For the past couple of days, we’ve continued to see improvement in James’ condition. Today marked a “FIRST DOWN” as James was able to breathe on his own for the first time since last Friday night. We think it’s remarkable, given that tonight is FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS with his beloved football team, Olathe East.
The attached picture (Seen in the video) shows James giving us a “thumbs up” this morning, something he was not able to do with his teammates last Friday night as he was taken off the football field.
We know that we have a long road ahead and appreciate all of the love, prayers, and deep comfort for our family.