Trenton Thompson hospitalized, taking leave from University

Rising junior defensive lineman Trenton Thompson was hospitalized overnight in relation to an ongoing medical issue which has now forced him to withdraw from classes according to a University statement:

Based upon recent events, Trenton Thompson’s family has authorized UGAAA to release the following information. Trenton has been dealing with a significant medical issue which required emergency hospitalization and extended hospital stay. Trenton was recently discharged from the hospital and remains under close medical care. With respect to last night’s incident, the physical appearance and behavior described in the UGA PD report is solely related to an adverse reaction to medications prescribed specifically for his medical condition. The adverse reaction required emergency transport to Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center where he was treated and released. Toxicology tests performed at the hospital were negative for OxyContin. We cannot release any further information at this time due to federal privacy laws. Due to the medical issues, Trenton is withdrawing from classes this semester, and his family requests privacy during this time.

If you’re curious about the UGA Police Report referenced you can certainly send an Open Records Request, or get a general idea from the publicly available daily logs. Suffice it to say that speculating about what issues Thompson is dealing with is at best unproductive and, at worst, just plain wrong. There have been unconfirmed reports that Thompson recently underwent shoulder surgery, which might explain the medication he was taking and the reference to screening for OxyContin. I just hope that a really nice young man gets better in a hurry and stays that way.

In terms of the impact on Georgia football, well, it’s entirely too early to say. Thompson is obviously not participating in spring practice if he’s not enrolled. Assuming that he’s made sufficient academic progress in his first two years in Athens that won’t necessarily imperil his participation during 2017.

Thompson led all Georgia interior defensive linemen in 2016 with 56 tackles and was seen by many as the veteran leader of a unit expected to be among the team’s strengths in 2017. He also tallied 5 QB sacks, making him one of the primary inside pass rushers for a defense that often needed that rush badly to make up for inconsistent play on the back end.

If there’s good news from a football perspective, it’s that John Atkins, DaQuan Hawkins-Muckle, Julian Rochester, Michail Carter, and Tyler Clark provide a solid nucleus in the middle if Thompson isn’t in a position to return immediately.