ATHENS, Ga. -- A University of Georgia football player is withdrawing from the remainder of the semester, officials announced, after he was hospitalized for a medical emergency.
Early Thursday morning, a UGA Police officer found Trenton Thompson wandering in the middle of the street around 1 a.m. near the Joe Frank Harris dining commons on Carlton Street. Thompson is the defensive lineman for the university’s football team.
According to the officer, Thompson, 20, appeared “very unsteady on his feet and his eyes were very bloodshot.” The report also states that Thompson’s eyes were glassy, his pupils were dilated and he didn’t appear to be reacting normally to light.
The officer described Thompson’s behavior as incoherent and said at one point he tried to open the door of the patrol car. As the officer tried to question Thompson, the athlete was not making eye contact and tried to turn and walk away at multiple points during the interaction. When the officer asked Thompson to sit on the curb, he had to repeatedly try to keep Thompson from standing up.
The report indicated that during questioning, Thompson was able to remember where he was and give the officer his name and birth date. However, he was not able to remember what position he played for the Dawgs.
After a while, the officer called EMS after he indicated Thompson appeared to be “experiencing some type of unknown medial problem.”
According to the report, Thompson told the officer he had not been drinking alcohol and was not on any medication, but eventually indicated he had taken “two oxies.” After an evaluation by emergency responders, the report says Thompson asked to be taken to the hospital. Hospital toxicology tests later came back negative for OxyContin.
A statement from UGA’s athletics associate on behalf of Thompson’s family said the athlete “has been dealing with a significant medical issue which required emergency,” though they didn’t indicate what the medical issue might be.
A school spokesperson said Thompson’s behavior and physical appearance last night was due to an adverse reaction to medications prescribed for his medical condition. Due to the medical issues, Thompson is withdrawing from classes for the rest of the semester.
Officials are not releasing any further information because of federal privacy laws.
