A Tulane safety fractured his spine and suffered a collapsed lung in a head-to-head collision with a teammate during a football game Saturday.
Devon Walker is in stable condition and expected to undergo surgery within the next day or so, Tulane University's athletics program said in a statement late Saturday, according AOL Sporting News. He is currently in traction and being treated for a "lot of swelling in his neck."
"The current plan is for him to have surgery in the next one to two days. He is being treated by specialists," the statement said.
The injury happened at the end of the first half of the game against the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Okla. Walker collided with teammate Julius Warmsley during a tackle attempt, apparently smashing their helmets together. Walker immediately went still on top of a pile of players.
Team doctor Buddy Savoie said during a news conference after the game that Walker never completely lost consciousness and was breathing on his own. Previous reports said Walker stopped breathing as emergency medical personnel cut off his jersey and pads and was given CPR and fluids before he started breathing again.
"He was stable when we transported him," Savoie said. "I do not think, based on the information we have, his life was ever in danger."
According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Walker is a cell and molecular biology major who hopes one day to become a pharmacist.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
