Updated

Updated · Gang Green Nation · Aug 12

Jets-Buccaneers Practice Erupts in Several Scuffles as Qwan’tez Stiggers Is Hospitalized After Fainting

Updated

Updated · Gang Green Nation · Aug 12

Jets-Buccaneers Practice Erupts in Several Scuffles as Qwan’tez Stiggers Is Hospitalized After Fainting

Q: After a terrifying sideline collapse, what is the true medical status of the Jets' most unconventional draft pick?

Qwan’tez Stiggers appears to be stable and improving, but the Jets have not released a formal diagnosis. Jets coach Aaron Glenn said Stiggers came to the sideline after a play during Tuesday’s joint practice with Tampa Bay and “passed out.” He was treated on the field, given an IV, remained conscious and able to speak, and was then taken by ambulance to a local hospital for evaluation. Glenn said that “for the most part, he was good,” while teammates were told the situation was “on the up and up.” What is known medically is limited. The team has confirmed only that he briefly lost consciousness and was transported for further examination. No official cause had been announced Tuesday. However, the on-field IV, the hot practice conditions in Florham Park, and comments from some players and local reporting all pointed to dehydration or heat exhaustion as a possible explanation rather than a traumatic football injury. That remains unconfirmed unless the Jets or doctors say so. The emotional response on the field reflected how frightening the scene was. Practice stopped for about 10 minutes, and teammates knelt and prayed while trainers worked on him. Stiggers, 24, is one of the Jets’ more unusual success stories, having reached the NFL without college football after stops in Fan Controlled Football and the CFL. As of Tuesday evening, the best-supported update is that he was alert, talking, hospitalized for precautionary testing, and showing encouraging early signs.

3 articles · Updated · Gang Green Nation · Aug 12

Qwan’tez Stiggers was taken to a hospital after fainting and losing consciousness during the Jets’ joint practice with Tampa Bay, capping a chaotic day in Florham Park.
Several scuffles broke out as the first Jets-Buccaneers session turned more volatile than the teams’ intended controlled work ahead of Friday’s preseason opener.
Aaron Glenn said earlier Stiggers was conscious, talking and receiving an IV after passing out in roughly 85-degree heat, suggesting the worst was avoided.
On the field, David Bailey returned from a brief injury and impressed again, while Geno Smith struggled with turnovers as the teams prepared to practice once more before the Aug. 14 game.