Jaguar teammates wait for word on wounded Richard Collier
FOOTBALL
Jacksonville lineman Richard Collier was shot Tuesday by an unknown gunman. He is in critical condition but little information has been released. He is the third NFL player shot in the last 18 months.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jaguars lineman Clint Ingram spent about 14 hours at the hospital Tuesday, waiting with teammates, coaches and Richard Collier's family and friends.
He didn't get any of the answers he wanted.
"I just really want to know how he's feeling, you know, and go in there and maybe whisper something in his ear to let him know we're behind him," Ingram said today. . "I just want to go in there and let him know that one of his close friends and part of his family is behind him and backing him up."
Collier remained in critical condition a day after getting shot while sitting in the front seat of his Cadillac Escalade. The Jacksonville Jaguars, meanwhile, returned to practice still thinking about their teammate, who was fighting for his life less than 2 miles away.
The 26-year-old offensive tackle and former teammate Kenneth Pettway were waiting for two women outside an apartment complex early Tuesday when a gunman fired into the vehicle, according to the Jacksonville sheriff's office.
Collier was shot several times, but it was unclear where the 6-foot-7, 345-pound lineman was hit. Pettway was not injured.
Collier had surgery at Shands Jacksonville Medical Center, and updates on his condition have been scarce because family members requested privacy. Coach Jack Del Rio said Wednesday that Collier was still in critical condition.
Del Rio also said the Jaguars were trying to get back into their routine in preparation for Sunday's season opener at Tennessee.
"We've got to handle it and then we've got to move on," Del Rio said. "That's what we're going to do, that's what we have to do. When you face adversity, when you deal with situations that come up, you've got to be able to handle them and you've got to be able to move through and deal with the issues that are there. And then you've got to be able to continue on as a football team, and that's what we'll do."
Ingram, Collier's closest friend on the team, was most affected by the news. He went to the hospital early Tuesday, left for a few minutes around lunchtime and then returned for the rest of the night. He planned to return today after practice.
"The only thing we really know right now is to wait on time," Ingram said. "I'm really not in a position to go into it and tell what's going on. I do know a few small details that I'd rather keep to myself."
