Former South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw has spoken publicly for the first time since collapsing while coaching his son’s youth football team last week.
“Many things I am thankful for this evening, none more than this,” Shaw shared in an Instagram story, posting a photo of himself in the hospital with a breathing tube on his nose and his wife by his side.
Shaw, 33, was admitted to the intensive care unit at Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital, a source confirmed to The State’s Jackson Castellano. Witnesses on social media reported that Shaw appeared to faint or fall before being taken away by ambulance.
A beloved figure in Columbia, Shaw is often regarded as the greatest quarterback in South Carolina history. Playing from 2010 to 2013, he set the program record for wins by a quarterback and was inducted into the South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021. Across 43 appearances, he threw for 6,074 yards, 56 touchdowns, and just 16 interceptions, while also rushing for 1,683 yards and 17 touchdowns on 452 carries.
After college, Shaw signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2014. Following injuries to Johnny Manziel and Brian Hoyer, he was promoted to the active roster and made his lone NFL start in the team’s season finale—a 20-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. In that game, he completed 14 of 28 passes for 177 yards and one interception.
