USC senior running back Stafon Johnson is unlikely to play again this season after a weightlifting accident in a campus weight room Monday morning.
Johnson was bench-pressing with an assistant strength and conditioning coach spotting him when the bar fell out of his right hand and landed on his throat. California Hospital Medical Center spokeswoman Katreena Salgado said Johnson was in critical but stable condition late Monday after more than seven hours of surgery in Los Angeles.
Stafon Johnson leads the team in touchdowns. He was treated for crushing injuries to his neck as well as severe injuries to his larynx, the hospital's trauma medical director Gudata Hinika said. It's unlikely Johnson will be able to play again this season, but doctors expect him to make a full recovery, Hinika said in a statement.
"It hit him with a lot of force, and it hurt him," coach Pete Carroll said after the Trojans' brief practice Monday night. The Trojans' head strength and conditioning coach Chris Carlisle said that the bench press is one of the safest exercises in the weight room. "I've seen players have the bar slip and fall onto their chest, but never in my 25 years of coaching have I heard of someone dropping a bar on their throat," said Carlisle, who according to USC's Web site was within 10 feet of the accident. "We're fortunate he was being spotted."
Carroll said Johnson "was OK," but couldn't speak when the running back was going to the hospital.
"That happens sometimes when you're doing bench presses, but this one just hit him wrong," Carroll said. "You can miss the rack or something. This was right at the end of his set, and he wasn't putting the bar down on the rack yet."
The loss of Johnson, 21, is a serious blow to the No. 7 Trojans who rely heavily on their ground game.
He's USC's second leading rusher and has the most touchdowns on the team with five.
Johnson, who led USC in rushing last season with 705 yards and nine touchdowns, scored the Trojans' go-ahead touchdown against Ohio State two weeks ago.
Several of his teammates were in the weight room when the accident happened.
"There was a bunch of guys in the weight room because it was a regular workout, so they jumped to make sure he was OK right off the bat," Carroll said. "One of our strength coaches was right there with him, doing the drill with him. He was cared for immediately. It was scary."
