Boise State receiver Rick Smith is back home in Southern California after spending several days in a Boise hospital following an alleged incident with a teammate.
According to the Long Beach Press-Telegram, the incident occurred on Feb. 9 when Smith and an unnamed teammate were playfully fighting in the Boise State locker room.
According to a source close to the family who wished to remain anonymous, Smith and a teammate were playfully slapboxing in the Boise State locker room on Feb. 9. When they were finished, Smith turned to walk away and the teammate allegedly struck him in the back of the head, knocking him into a locker, with Smith then collapsing onto the ground.
Few details about the incident were known until a family friend created a GoFundMe account asking for financial support for the family’s medical bills. The message on the account read in part: “Richard Smith aka Richie Rich, a junior at Boise State and a star at football, was trying to avoid conflict and walk away from the situation when Rick was assaulted by one of his teammate shady actions. Which landed him in the hospital in the ICU. Rick is suffering from a skull fracture, brain hemorrhage and his entire brain is swollen.”
Boise State has not addressed the alleged incident and coach Bryan Harsin had little to say when asked about the claims about Smith’s condition.
Smith was discharged from the Boise hospital, but his parents, noticing that he was still in pain, opted to take him to UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Center.
Smith's mother, Tiffany Porter, told the paper her son stayed a couple days before being released. He is currently home with his family. She did note that he would need speech and physical therapy and that doctors said no weight lifting or sports for at least eight months.
The Press-Telegram also noted that a source close to the family said it plans to press charges against the teammate.
The university and the Boise Police both are aware of the incident.
Smith spent two seasons at Arizona State and compiled 32 catches for 276 yards and two touchdowns in 2013 before opting to transfer. He sat out the 2014 season with the Broncos, but was named the team’s Scout Team Offensive Player of the Year.
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