Former Clewiston athlete sets new goals

CLEWISTON, Fla. A former Clewiston High School football player is making a comeback one year after he suffered from a traumatic brain injury.

Devon Jackonson, 18, took a hard hit from an opponent on Sept. 9 and was rushed to emergency brain surgery after having headaches and vomiting on the team bus. He was put in a medically induced coma.

“My whole right side went weak. I couldn’t even walk I couldn’t even use my right hand,” Jackson said.

Jackson, who was told he could no longer play football, found the strength and determination to play basketball and continue his involvement in sports.

“I still have emotional breakdowns about it from time to time I even cry, but I still want to be around the game,” Jackson said.

He plans to study exercise science in college and become an advocate for the dangers of football related injuries.

“Look at the positive side of things, I turned a bad situation into a good situation. I’m like ‘okay I got hurt, I can’t play anymore, now I can go help younger kids play,'” Jackson said.

Jackson is set to start classes at Florida Gulf Coast University this semester and he plans to coach a local junior varsity football team during his free time.