Matthew Donovan, the Minnesota-born quarterback for Mayville State University, remains in a medically induced coma after suffering a serious head injury during a football game in North Dakota.
Donovan was hurt in the third quarter of Saturday’s 42-41 victory over Simpson University. He was tackled while carrying the ball and remained on the field for several minutes before being taken away by ambulance and airlifted to a hospital in Fargo.
Mayville State quarterback undergoes brain surgery
Mayville State said Donovan underwent emergency brain surgery lasting just over two hours after arriving in Fargo. Part of his skull was removed to relieve pressure on his brain, before he was transferred to intensive care.
The school said Donovan’s eyes reacted normally to light on Sunday morning, a development which led his neurosurgeon to describe the previous night as “a win”. He remains under specialist care and in a medically induced coma.
“He is still in a medically induced coma, and is fighting like crazy,” Mayville State said in a statement. “Your prayers are working and encouraged at this time.”
Donovan, who is from La Crescent, Minnesota, graduated from Kasson-Mantorville High School in 2022. According to play-by-play details from the game, his final appearance came on a rushing play at the start of the third quarter, with Axel Anderson taking over at quarterback afterwards.
His sister, Ashley Klar, has launched a fundraising appeal to help cover the family’s accommodation, food and medical costs while they remain in Fargo. She said Donovan collapsed after a head-to-head collision and that doctors identified a brain bleed before he underwent a craniotomy.
More than $15,000 had been raised towards a $30,000 target by Sunday, with more than 175 donations. The family said they were taking Donovan’s recovery “one moment at a time” and expressed gratitude for the support received.
