Former Iowa safety Brett Greenwood remains in a medically induced coma at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, a source close to the Greenwood family told The Daily Iowan on Sunday.
Greenwood collapsed Sept. 9 while working out at Pleasant Valley High — his alma mater — in Bettendorf.
Greenwood graduated last year after starting four-straight seasons with the Hawkeyes. His 12 interceptions rank sixth all-time in Iowa football history. The Bettendorf native signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent but was cut from the team on Sept. 2.
Greenwood was reportdly working out on Pleasant Valley’s football field at the time of his collapse.
Pleasant Valley Athletics Director Randy Treymer said he spoke with the former All-Big Ten performer about 20 minutes before the incident occurred.
“I was getting ready to prepare for the sophomore game when I saw Brett coming down the road,” Treymer told The Daily Iowan on Sunday. “I stopped and made small talk with him. He asked if he could work out on the field, and I said, ‘Of course.’ ”
As a small crowd of Pleasant Valley players watched Greenwood work out, the player apparently fell to the ground, and Pleasant Valley medical staff rushed to his side.
“The school nurse ran a defibrillator where our athletic trainer was working on Brett,” Treymer said. “The trainer and nurse did a great job working on him before the paramedics arrived. They kept pushing with the defibrillator and CPR. “If they weren’t around, who knows what could have happened?”
Greenwood was initially taken by ambulance from Pleasant Valley to nearby Trinity Bettendorf hospital, where he was admitted into the intensive-care unit, sources say, and then he was airlifted from Trinity to Iowa City.
As of Sunday, Greenwood was reportedly in a UIHC intensive-care unit.
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz told his team about Greenwood’s status on the evening of Sept 9 in Ames, Iowa. After the Hawkeyes’ game against Iowa State on Sept. 10, Ferentz said the program will “keep Brett and his family in our thoughts.”
Junior Micah Hyde, who played with Greenwood in Iowa’s secondary from 2009-10, said he’s thinking about his former teammate.
“Late [Friday] night, coach informed us. It’s tough,” Hyde said. “Hopefully, I can get back and pay him a visit. Brett Greenwood — mentally he’s strong, physically he’s strong. Hopefully, he can bounce back out of this.”
Sophomore linebacker James Morris offered similar sentiments on Saturday.
“[We’re] scared but concerned for him,” Morris said on Sept. 10. “Any time that happens to someone who’s part of your family, it’s concerning. I hope he’s doing well … He’s in our thoughts, and he’s in our prayers. We wish the best for him.”