Jordan Shipley, a former star for the Texas Longhorns, is in critical but stable condition. The former wide receiver suffered "severe" burns following an accident at his Texas-based ranch on Tuesday, Jan. 6.
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"Jordan was involved in an accident this afternoon near his hometown of Burnet," Shipley's family said in a statement, released by the Texas athletic department. "The machine he was operating on his ranch caught fire, and although he managed to get out, it was not before sustaining severe burns on his body in the process. He was able to get to one of his workers on the ranch who drove him to a local hospital. He was then care-flighted to Austin, where he remains in critical but stable condition."
Shipley spent three years with the Longhorns and made a serious name for himself. He was with the team between 2006 and 2009. He holds multiple single-season records for the team, including receiving yards (1,489) and receptions (116), both of which he set during his final season with the team.
In fact, only Roy Williams has more receiving yards for the Longhorns than Shipley, who tallied 3,191 during his time in the team's jersey. Shipley was also a two-time All-American.
Jordan Shipley Made It to the NFL
Shipley was drafted into the NFL via the 2010 draft. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round. Shipley played in 15 games as a rookie, starting four of them. He scored three touchdowns and averaged 3.5 receiving yards per game.
However, Shipley's career was derailed by injury, most notably a torn ACL and MCL in 2011. He suited up for two games for the Bengals during that season. He then split the following season between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars, making a total of seven appearances.
The former star wide receiver never fully recovered from his ACL injury. He faced a series of issues after returning to the field, which led him to retire in 2014.
Now, his friends, family and former fans will all be praying that he can make a full recovery following what sounds like an awful accident.
