{"id":384973,"date":"2026-08-30T02:00:45","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T02:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/384973\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T02:00:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T02:00:45","slug":"ethan-pritchards-recovery-from-gunshot-to-head-impresses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/384973\/","title":{"rendered":"Ethan Pritchard’s recovery from gunshot to head impresses"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s amazing enough to see Ethan Pritchard walking, but to hear him talk and see him smile is truly an incredible thing considering what the former FSU linebacker has endured.<\/p>\n

Just 362 days after getting shot in the head, the victim of thugs who thought he was someone else, Pritchard continues to rehab his body and retrain it to work the way it once did.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, he will return to Tallahassee and walk out on the field at Doak Campbell Stadium as FSU opens the season against New Mexico State.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m blessed. Every day, I feel blessed,\u201d Pritchard said.<\/p>\n

His ability to walk and function seemed impossible a year ago. Even more amazing, however, he vows to play football again.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yeah, you\u2019ll see me out there,\u201d Pritchard said Friday, during a media event at The Draft Academy, where Pritchard trains. \u201cYou\u2019re gonna see me back on that field. You can believe that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said playing football again was one of the first things he thought about after waking up from a medically induced coma after more than a month.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t talk then, but I mouthed it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

When he was able to talk about it, Pritchard said no doctors ever told him he would not be able to play again.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey said it was up to me, so that was all the motivation I needed, right there,\u201d Pritchard said.<\/p>\n

\"FormerFormer FSU linebacker Ethan Pritchard works out with physical therapist Alex Mendez at The Draft Academy on Friday. Pritchard was shot in the head in an incident near Tallahassee last year. He is recovering and will walk on the field for the FSU opener on Saturday night. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

Pritchard has had to learn how to do everything again. He had to learn how to talk, how to use his hands and how to walk.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a walking miracle,\u201d said Gabe Davis, a free-agent NFL receiver who is out this season with an injured knee.<\/p>\n

Davis and Bert Wigham both, like Pritchard, attended Seminole High. They are co-owners of The Draft Academy training center in Winter Park, and they have watched Pritchard\u2019s progress. They have seen him go from being unable to walk or even sit up in a chair, to walking on his own, without even a cane.<\/p>\n

His daily routine consists of a physical therapy session with Alex Mendez and two-a-day workouts at Draft Academy. His attitude and positive demeanor have carried him through his progress, and it\u2019s a big reason he has been able to reach his goals. However, he vows, there are many goals remaining.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt carries me a lot. I feel like that\u2019s what made me not give up on myself, outside of having all of these people around me,\u201d Pritchard said. \u201cHaving them is what made me not wanna quit. \u2026 You just gotta find it within yourself. I gotta do it for myself, because ain\u2019t nobody gonna feel sorry for you if you don\u2019t do what you\u2019re supposed to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pritchard, who recently turned 19, saw his weight drop from 220 pounds all the way down to 165 during the time when he was immobile. Today, he\u2019s back up over 200 and looking strong.<\/p>\n

\"EarlEarl Pritchard, father of former FSU linebacker Ethan Pritchard, talks to reporters at The Draft Academy in Winter Park on Friday. Ethan Pritchard was shot in the head in an incident near Tallahassee last year. He is recovering and will walk on the field for the FSU opener on Saturday night. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

His father, Earl Pritchard, said he has no doubt that his son will play football again. He\u2019s watched Ethan\u2019s progress, and his son continues to amaze him.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day he surprises me with something different,\u201d Earl Pritchard said.<\/p>\n

Earl was only about three blocks away when Ethan was shot, his car ambushed as he entered an apartment complex in Havana, the unfortunate victim of mistaken identity.<\/p>\n

Four people were arrested in connection with the shooting in September of last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard the shots \u2026 but not knowing it\u2019s your kid \u2026,\u201d Earl said. \u201cI got up there where he was \u2026 he was still in the car when I got up there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earl had one thought when he arrived on the scene.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to lose my baby,\u201d he said. \u201cI was scared, angry \u2026 At one point I didn\u2019t know how to feel. \u201d<\/p>\n

Ethan Pritchard said that when he came out of the coma, his memory was intact.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew everything that happened, from the point of me getting shot to me waking up,\u201d Pritchard said.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s always been determined and confident about his progress, but even he could not have seen himself progress the way he has.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew I would get back, but you couldn\u2019t tell me I would get back here,\u201d Pritchard said.<\/p>\n

\"FormerFormer FSU linebacker Ethan Pritchard works out with physical therapist Alex Mendez at The Draft Academy on Friday. Pritchard was shot in the head in an incident near Tallahassee last year. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

Both Earl and Ethan knew there was a long recovery process ahead, and it was hard for Ethan to accept his situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, he didn\u2019t want to go outside because he was in a wheelchair,\u201d Earl said. \u201cBut after he started getting out of the house and getting back to working out, it just went through the roof.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plenty of words have been used to describe Pritchard\u2019s recovery. Words like miraculous, inspirational, incredible, amazing and magical were just some of the adjectives heard at Friday\u2019s event.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m trying to find some better words than that,\u201d Earl said. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely miraculous, tremendous, all of the above.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ethan has feeling throughout his entire body, but he still has nerve damage in his lower right leg, and uses a brace for reinforcement and strength. Pritchard said that\u2019s the only thing keeping him from getting back on the football field.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I didn\u2019t have this problem right now, I\u2019d be back, probably,\u201d Pritchard said. \u201cI feel like I\u2019m 100 more times destined for it than I was before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dad agrees.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yeah. If he gets the feeling in that leg today, he\u2019d be back out there. That\u2019s the only thing stopping him,\u201d Earl said. \u201cUnless somebody tells him different, he\u2019ll play again. I\u2019m gonna see him on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FormerFormer FSU linebacker Ethan Pritchard works out with physical therapist Alex Mendez at The Draft Academy on Friday as Pritchard recovers from a gunshot wound to his head. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

Pritchard\u2019s drive and his positive attitude are obvious.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s never said nothing to me that had me worried about him,\u201d Earl said. \u201cHe always tells me he\u2019s good, ready to go. He\u2019s got that drive and everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pritchard works with physical therapist Alex Mendez, who pushes him every day. His support staff around him has been a big part of his recovery.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s second to none,\u201d Pritchard said. \u201cThere are great people around here, and they\u2019re just good people to have in your corner. They mean the world to me. Without them, my head would be all over the place right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

To help push his progress along, Wigham, who\u2019s Draft Academy company also works as representatives for athletes, had Pritchard move in with him two months ago. Wigham is with him daily, taking him to workouts and PT appointments.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a management company, we\u2019re here to help families, and that\u2019s what I told his family, that we would help him,\u201d Wigham said. \u201cIt\u2019s something you have to be hands on with. That\u2019s why we opened this company. To help kids manage with this process. His situation, of course, is unique.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mendez works with a lot with athletes with injuries, but Pritchard is obviously different.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m mostly an orthopedic sports medicine guy \u2026 those gains are usually slow and incremental,\u201d Mendez said. \u201cEthan is making overnight changes. His attitude is a big part of it. If he wasn\u2019t willing to work, this wouldn\u2019t be happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pritchard loves working with Mendez.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the man with the plan, right there,\u201d Pritchard said.<\/p>\n

\"Former<\/p>\n

Former FSU linebacker Ethan Pritchard works out with physical therapist Alex Mendez at The Draft Academy, on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"Former<\/p>\n

Former FSU linebacker Ethan Pritchard works out with physical therapist Alex Mendez at The Draft Academy, on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"Physical<\/p>\n

Physical therapist Alex Mendez talks to the media at The Draft Academy, on Friday, August 28, 2026. Mendez is helping Former FSU linebacker Ethan Pritchard with his rehab. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"Prosthetist<\/p>\n

Prosthetist Stan Patterson, founder of Prosthetic & Orthotic Associates, shows off an XOS brace that Former FSU linebacker Ethan Pritchard is using in his rehabilitation, at The Draft Academy, on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"Former<\/p>\n

Former FSU linebacker Ethan Pritchard works out with physical therapist Alex Mendez at The Draft Academy, on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"Former<\/p>\n

Former FSU linebacker Ethan Pritchard works out with physical therapist Alex Mendez at The Draft Academy, on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"Former<\/p>\n

Former FSU linebacker Ethan Pritchard works out with physical therapist Alex Mendez at The Draft Academy, on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"Earl<\/p>\n

Earl Pritchard, dad to Former FSU linebacker Ethan Pritchard, talks to the media at The Draft Academy, on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"Former<\/p>\n

Former FSU linebacker Ethan Pritchard talks to the media at The Draft Academy, on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 9<\/p>\n

Former FSU linebacker Ethan Pritchard works out with physical therapist Alex Mendez at The Draft Academy, on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Pritchard said the workout stuff is nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m used to everything I\u2019m doing, so I wouldn\u2019t say anything has surprised me, but it makes me feel good, for sure,\u201d Pritchard said of his progress. \u201cIt\u2019s no struggle for me, at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

His big smile tells the story. Always positive, Pritchard said he didn\u2019t even take much time to be mad about the situation. He even said frustration with his situation has been very rare.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe head space I\u2019m in now, I just leave it in God\u2019s hands. I know God has something planned for me. I just leave it up to God,\u201d Pritchard said.<\/p>\n

He can\u2019t wait to walk on that field at Doak Campbell on Saturday night.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s just a blessing, just to know that I only got to do it one time last year, this will be my first time back. I\u2019m gonna make the best of it,\u201d Pritchard said.<\/p>\n

Dad is all smiles. He just sits back in amazement as he watches his son.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re very fortunate, blessed. He\u2019s an amazing kid,\u201d Earl said.<\/p>\n

Chris Hays can be found on X.com @OS_ChrisHays<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s amazing enough to see Ethan Pritchard walking, but to hear him talk and see him smile is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":384974,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[3731,1745,3745,139,141,140,76046,76642,110],"class_list":["post-384973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-florida-state-seminoles","tag-high-school-football","tag-high-school-sports","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-social-sports","tag-social-varsity-sports","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=384973"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384973\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/384974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=384973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=384973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=384973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}