Stafon Johnson

Stafon Johnson already can speak in a soft, raspy voice less than three months after a weight bar crushed the Southern California tailback's throat. Johnson briefly demonstrated his remarkable recovery from a potentially fatal weight room accident Saturday before the Trojans' game against Stanford. Repeating the last words spoken to him by his grandfather, Johnson said, "God has a plan. Run, Stafon, run." Johnson also has regained the ability to swallow and eat solid food, an improbably quick achievement after several operations on his neck. His doctors have removed his tracheostomy tube from his throat, and he no longer has a feeding tube in ... Read Full Story

The horrifying weight room accident that crushed the neck and larynx of USC tailback Stafon Johnson earlier this week spurred concern among the Pac-10's coaches. Johnson was bench pressing when the bar slipped from his right hand and fell onto his throat on Monday morning. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was in surgery for some seven hours. Oregon State coach Mike Riley called the incident both scary and sad. "It makes everybody in the weight room revisit their procedures and we obviously will talk about ours just to make sure," Riley said. "It's an accident, but whatever you can do to ... Read Full Story

California's meeting with USC in 2003 began in sunshine and ended in the gloaming, with the weird luminescence of Memorial Stadium's temporary light fixtures lending a surreal tint to Tyler Fredrickson's triple-overtime field goal that sealed the Golden Bears' biggest win of the decade. The 2004 game came down to the final minute, when Southern California's defense stopped Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers on four plays inside the 10 at the Coliseum to finish the Trojans' toughest test of their most recent national title season. USC rallied from 18 points down to win the 2002 game with help from a still-disputed touchdown catch by Kareem ... Read Full Story

American college gridiron star Stafon Johnson was released from hospital Wednesday, two weeks after he crushed his throat in weightlifting accident. The 21-year-old University of Southern California had been hospitalized since September 26 when a 125-kilogram (275-pound) weightlifting bar slipped out of hands and crushed his throat and voice box. Johnson appeared at a news conference on Wednesday where he thanked his family, friends and the team for their support. "This has been the most humbling and eye-opening experience in my 21 years of existence," Johnson said in a statement that was read by his uncle Kregg Anderson. "This is not the end of ... Read Full Story

Southern California tailback Stafon Johnson could leave the hospital on Wednesday, just over two weeks after his neck was crushed in a weightlifting accident. Coach Pete Carroll says Johnson is on schedule to be taken home for further care and rehabilitation. Doctors have praised the senior's remarkable progress after the accident, which left his throat and larynx almost completely crushed by a weight bar. Carroll says Johnson is feeling healthier, sleeping more soundly, and could start exercising soon as well. Carroll also says there's a chance Johnson could qualify for a medical redshirt to earn a sixth year with the Trojans, though he also ... Read Full Story