Boise State wide receiver Rick Smith was hospitalized in the ICU after an altercation with one of his teammates.
An altercation with one of his Boise State teammates has left wide receiver Rick Smith in no condition to even play NCAA football. He was hospitalized in the ICU after the incident and is now at his home in Southern California, recovering, according to a story by CBS Sports. His mother, Tiffany Porter, said that her son needs both speech and physical therapy and he was told by doctors not to lift weights or participate in any sports activity for eight months.
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The details of what exactly happened are still shady. Reportedly he and the teammate were playing at slapboxing in the Boise State locker room on February 9th. At some point when they were finished, Smith walked away, only to be attacked by the teammate from behind. He was struck in the back of the head and hit a locker before collapsing on the ground. Another report from a GoFundMe account that was set up for Smith’s medical bills, describes the altercation as Smith trying to walk away and avoid conflict, when he was attacked by his teammate.
The description said that Smith went to the ICU suffering from brain hemorrhage and swelling as well as a fractured skull. Upon being discharged from the Boise hospital, Smith was driven home to Southern California by his mother and her husband. He then spent several days at Ronald Reagan Medical Center, where he was visited by former Poly teammates. He was described as being alert and able to recognize his visitors. Smith’s mother posted on Facebook on Tuesday that Smith was released from that medical center and is now home recovering further.
Sources close to the family are saying that they intend to press charges against the teammate that assaulted Smith. Boise State has not offered any official comment about the incident. Head coach of the football team, Bryan Harsin would only confirm that Smith was still on the team, but offered nothing else.
Smith was redshirted in 2014 for Boise State after transferring from Arizona State. He caught 32 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns while playing for the Sun Devils in 2013.
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