Paralyzed High School Football Player Sends Alabama Message With First Words Off Of Ventilator

Ethan Glynn, a high school football player in Minnesota, was paralyzed during his team's season opener two weeks ago. While the teenager is in for the fight of his life, it seems that he's in the best of spirits and very much still has football on his mind.

Glynn's family recently shared an update about his status and how he "continues to amaze everyone with his grit and determination." He was put on a ventilator following the severe injuries he suffered to his neck and spine but has since been taken off of the machine.

His first words after being removed from the ventilator weren't 'where am I?' or 'what happened?' Instead, Glynn said "Roll Tide," the well-known saying for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

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Glynn's family explained that they were all able to watch Alabama's come from behind win over Texas on Saturday at the hospital.

'E,' as his family calls him, suffered his injuries on September 2 that left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. According to his head coach, he went to make a tackle during the team’s season-opener against Chaska, but tripped on his way to the ball and went headfirst into the opponent.

Ethan sounds like an awesome kid and one that is bringing high spirits as he marches towards recovery.

"He has a long road ahead of him but he is a fighter and we have no doubt that he will give it his all," his family wrote on his Go Fund Me page.

People touched by Glynn's story have made over 1,500 donations and raised more than $150,000 since the accident.

Keep fighting, Ethan, and roll tide roll.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and all other happenings in the world of golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.