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Ethan Pritchard makes appearance at Florida State practice after being released from inpatient care

Stephen Samraby: Steve Samra11/14/25SamraSource

Florida State freshman linebacker Ethan Pritchard is out of inpatient care. Now, nearly two and a half months after a near-fatal shooting nearly ended his life, he is making an appearance at practice for the Seminoles as he continues his road to recovery.

Pritchard was hospitalized in critical but stable condition for more than a month after he was shot in the back of the head on Aug. 31. The incident occurred while Pritchard was dropping off his aunt and a 3-year-old cousin near the Havana Heights Apartments, located roughly 25 minutes away from the Tallahassee campus.

He was released from Tallahassee Memorial Hospital on Oct. 9 after nearly 40 days in intensive care. He was then transferred to the Brooks Rehabilitation in Jacksonville to continue the recovery process, and he’s trying to put his life back together.

A bit of normalcy came to the surface on Friday. Check out this collection of photos below, shared to X (formerly Twitter) by Florida State Football, as Pritchard made a highly anticipated appearance at practice.

That’s sure to warm your heart, seeing the smile on the young man’s face. Pritchard’s father Earl also released an inspirational statement following his son’s release: “I am so thankful for everyone who has prayed for my son. There have been a lot of ups and downs over these last 39 days, and it is remarkable that Ethan and I were able to leave the hospital together today,” Earl Pritchard said in a statement released by Florida State, via Warchant, following Pritchard’s discharge from Tallahassee Memorial.

“I want to especially thank Dr. Albert Lee and his team, the ECMO team and the nurses on the third and fourth floors at TMH for the care and medical expertise they have provided Ethan. Coach (Mike) Norvell has checked in every day and has been a constant presence visiting us here at the hospital, and his players and staff have continued to make us feel part of the team.

“I can’t fully express how much those moments have meant to me and Ethan. The Florida State Sports Medicine staff has provided consistent communication and collaboration with the wonderful doctors at TMH.”

Pritchard has regained movement in his arms over the past month

In just the past month, Pritchard has had several positive developments. That included regaining movement in his arms. He’s also been able to turn his head and open his eyes.

Officers in Gadsden County have since arrested four suspects in connection with the shooting, which authorities believe was the result of mistaken identity due to the model of his car. Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young said the motive for the shooting was retaliation for another shooting five days earlier.

While Pritchard was not involved with that earlier incident, Young said his vehicle looked similar to one driven by suspects in that case: “We believe the same type car that Ethan was driving was involved in that shooting,” Young said, while reiterating multiple times that Pritchard had no involvement or knowledge of that situation. “Ethan was not — I say not — doing anything wrong in that area.”

— On3’s Daniel Hager contributed to this report.