Stafon Johnson's season is finished, but his playing days probably are not.
A trauma expert who was part of the team that performed more than seven hours of throat surgery on the USC tailback said Tuesday that Johnson, injured in a weightlifting accident, would make a full recovery and play again when healed.
"We definitely are working very hard to get him better, for him and for the rest of his fans," said Dr. Gudata Hinika, trauma director at California Hospital Medical Center. "So we expect him to be on the football field at some time."
Whether that occurs first at USC or in the NFL remains to be seen. Johnson, a former star at Los Angeles Dorsey High, is a fourth-year senior.
A USC official said the school's compliance office had determined that Johnson could potentially be granted an extra year of eligibility because of a medical hardship.
But Johnson also would be eligible to make himself available for the NFL draft.
Johnson, who led the Trojans in rushing in 2008 and has scored five touchdowns this season, would not need to return to USC for another season to prove himself to pro teams, an NFL scouting executive said.
"He has enough tape, and we know what he is," said the executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity because it is against his team's policy to talk about prospects.
But, the talent evaluator suggested, Johnson should not attempt to rush back.
"He needs to focus on his health," he said. "It sounds like a significant injury. He needs to take care of his business. . . . He will be evaluated thoroughly both medically and as a player, and he needs to be healthy for workouts and minicamps after the draft."
Johnson's physique and his fitness saved his life Monday, Hinika said.
Johnson was performing a "bench press" lift with what doctors were told was 275 pounds when the bar apparently slipped from his hand and landed on his throat. USC officials said an assistant strength and conditioning coach was working with Johnson as a "spotter" when the accident happened, but he was unable to stop the bar from injuring the player.
Initially spitting blood from his mouth and nose, Johnson was rushed by ambulance to the hospital.
At 5 feet 11 and 210 pounds, Johnson was able to survive the accident because the muscles around his neck helped him keep open a breathing passage, Hinika said at a news conference Tuesday.
