Chickasha Football Player Remains in Critical Condition

Originally Published: Sep 15, 2010 4:11 PM CDT

Rusty Surette
Oklahoma Sports Special Contributor

CHICKASHA, Oklahoma -- A Chickasha High School varsity football player is in the hospital recovering from a heat stroke-related illness, according to school officials.

Kody Turner, 16, collapsed Tuesday afternoon following football practice which included sprints. The junior was rushed to a hospital in Chickasha and was later taken by a medical helicopter to OU's Children's Hospital in Oklahoma City.

A spokesperson for the hospital said Turner was still listed in critical condition Tuesday afternoon.

Chickasha Schools Assistant Superintendent Pete Bush says representatives from the school district plan to go back to the hospital Wednesday evening to check on Turner's condition.

UPDATE: Kody Turner's family released a statement on his condition Thursday afternoon. The statement is included in its entirety below:

"We would like to thank all Oklahomans who have been praying for Kody during this time of crisis, Currently, Kody is in critical condition in the ICU at The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center. Over the last few hours, Kody appears to have made small improvements, however, he is still extremely critical. We think it is important for everybody to understand that there is nobody to blame in this situation. The coaches, the school and the other players should not be criticized for what has happened to Kody. We hold nobody responsible and consider this an unfortunate situation. We would like to thank his coaches and the medical staff at the Chickasha Hospital for their quick reaction to Kody’s condition. That speed, along with the care at Children’s Hospital, has brought Kody this far. We appreciate everybody’s concerns and questions during this time, but ask people to respect our privacy during his recovery process."

Photo courtesy of Creative Image Studios.