Daphne coach injured in accident still in critical condition

DAPHNE, Ala. (WALA) - Instead of being out on the field, Daphne football Coach Jacy Todd is at USA Medical Center in critical condition.

Todd was in a car accident on August 1 on highway 181 near I-10.

He suffered a spinal injury, collapsed lung, broken ribs, and a head laceration.

His follow coaches and students said the atmosphere is quite different without Todd at practice.
“He is intense and he is a shouter. His passion comes out through his work ethic and his love for kids. He is one of those vocal guys you can hear from the other side line,” Daphne High School Head Coach Glenn Vickery.

Senior safety Trey Jenkins said it’s been much quieter, but not in a good way.

“There’s not really much shouting anymore, you know. It’s kind of quiet,” Jenkins said.

Coach Vickery said he’s been told Todd’s road to recovery will be a long one.

“From what I have been told, they are going to insert some rods and stabilize the back, telling the muscles and organs around there is some stability,” Vickery said.

Some students have reached out to Todd and his family through e-mail and others have visited him in the hospital.

Jenkins said the team is praying for him.

“He got excited when we told him a football player was coming in so you could see him light up for that reason,” Vickery said.

As a senior, Jenkins said he is doing his best to encourage the team and keep Todd’s spirit on the field.

“It motivates me going out on that field playing for him. That’s all I can think of is just going hard the whole time. He always says, ‘When in doubt, don’t give up. Just go full speed; don’t stop.’ So that’s what we’re doing,” said Jenkins.

Vickery said Todd currently has pneumonia, and the nurses want to wait until Todd is better before going into surgery.

From there, Vickery said Todd plans to head to Atlanta for rehab. He said they want to raise enough money to buy Todd’s wife a plane ticket so she can be with him.

To stay up to date on Todd’s recovery, you can visit his blog.