Stafon Johnson (13) is high-fived by teammate Chauncey Washington (23) during the first
half against California in 2007.but what do they know about college football?
(Creative Commons licensed)

[UPDATE: WEDNESDAY 4:00 PM]

Stafon Johnson's season is finished but according to Dr. Gudata Hinika, trauma director at California Hospital Medical Center, he will play again.

"We definitely are working very hard to get him better, for him and for the rest of his fans," said Hinika.  "So we expect him to be on the football field at some time."

But as the LA Times lays out, whether he returns to college or moves on to the NFL remains to be seen.

"He has enough tape, and we know what he is," one NFL scouting executive told the Times, speaking on a condition of anonymity because it is against his team's policy
to talk about prospects. 

[UPDATE: TUESDAY 4:00 PM]
USC running back Stafon Johnson is in critical, yet stable, condition at California Hospital Medical Center, and remains upbeat after dropping a weight on his neck while working out yesterday morning.

"He was awake this morning, communicating with everyone. He's in good spirits. He's not talking, but he was doing his way of making sense of stuff," head coach Pete Carroll said.
This included thumbs-up signs, and communicating in writing.

Johnson underwent a seven-hour surgery yesterday to repair a crushed neck and larynx.
"Because he's so fit and so strong and he handled it so well, they were able to continue to do all the intricate stuff they were able to do," said Carroll.

Carroll called the incident an absolute accident. "This guy is an expert lifter. He just lost control of the bar on the first rep of his last set. I can't tell you how many times he's been in the weight room working hard, knowing what to do. He could teach our program as well as anybody."

Doctors say they fully expect Johnson to be able to play football again. However they are unwilling to give a time table for when that may be.

This update was courtesy of Chris Breece, Host of "Trojan Huddle," which airs on Trojan Vision on Friday nights at 8pm and all day Saturday leading up to the USC football game. Or check it out at trojanvision.com

[UPDATE: TUESDAY 12:30PM] ESPN reports that Johnson is awake and communicating by writing and using hand signals.  Dr. Gudata Hinika, the trauma medical director at California Hospital Medical Center, told ESPN that Johnson is giving thumbs up signs to his mother. Johnson spent seven hours in surgery Monday to repair a crushed neck and larynx.

USC running back Stafon Johnson was injured Monday morning in a weight lifting accident at the USC. Lifting weights under the supervision of an assistant athletic trainer, Johnson his right hand slipped as he was bench pressing.  The bar landed on his throat. After coughing up blood, he was rushed to the emergency room where he underwent surgery.
 
USC's strength and conditioning coach Chris Carlisle said an accident of this nature was rare,"I've seen players have the bar slip and fall onto their chest, but never in my 25 years of coaching have I heard of someone dropping a bar on their throat."

ESPN.com initially reported that it was unlikely Johnson will be ready to play against Cal at Saturday. Head Coach Pete Carroll added "We don't have a lot of information at this point, and we'll keep everyone updated, but our thoughts and prayers are with Stafon."  After practice Carroll addressed the media and reiterated that he didn't know much more than Johnson suffered a serious injury and that he wouldn't know anything until after surgery. 

Johnson, a senior from Dorsey High, has 157 rushing yards and a team leading five touchdowns this season. The incident launched a frenzy of Twitter messages about the star running back as well-wishers and fans hoped for a quick recovery. Apparently Johnson is pretty popular, being the number one searched term recently, according to Fad.ly.