Richard Collier, their teammate, was awake and now listed in good condition. But that was the best of it. What they were about to hear from Collier's agent Jeff Jankovich and UF surgeon Dr. Andrew Kerwin was the worst of it.

"Richard Collier's football career is over," Jankovich said, his voice cracking under the emotion.

Kerwin described the 14 bullet holes found in Collier's body. He detailed the various parts of Collier's body that were hit by the bullets (right shoulder, back, left groin, left leg, right buttock).

Kerwin talked of the internal organs that were affected by the shots: Collier's bladder, rectum, lower spine, and finally, his spinal cord.

Then he dropped the two big bombs.

"One of the bullets hit his spinal cord and caused him to be paralyzed from the waist down," Kerwin said.

That was only the begining.

The next day, Collier developed a blood clot in his left leg. While doctors were able to remove the clot in surgery, the damage was already done. To save Collier's life, they had to take his leg.

"Unfotunately, it required amputation of the left leg above the knee several days later," said Kerwin.

Collier, Kerwin said, was on life support for two weeks. It had been about 10 days since he was taken off the ventilator.

Richard Collier's road to the NFL was a long one. Virtually unwanted by any college football team after high school, Collier went to junior college. Then, convinced that his football career was over, Collier joined the workforce, working at Wal-Mart. He was convinced by family members to give school another chance, so he went to Valdosta State, where he became a star on the offensive line. Still, he was undrafted. The Jaguars invited him to camp and he made the team the hard way...he earned it.

That long and difficult road is nothing compared to what Collier has been through the last month and what he has in front of him.

Already, Collier has survived the 14 gun shots, multiple surgery, pnemonia, a life threatening infection, and renal failure,

In conversations with Collier, Jankovich, his agent and friend, has heard about the plans for the future. Collier is talking about going into business or coaching and continuing charity work.

That may come. For now, Collier faces months of rehabilitation as his teammates deal with Collier's reality.