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Family, friends hold vigil for Tatum football player

"I want to thank everybody that's been praying for him. God bless you and God bless us all."

TYLER — About 100 people gathered outside CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Hospital Sunday to show their support for a Tatum football player who is in recovery after breaking his neck.

D.J. Horton, 15, was making a tackle during a scrimmage game Friday against Rusk when the hit fractured his neck in two places.

"Surgery went wonderful, it went wonderful," D.J.'s father Darrell Horton said. "It's broken in two places, and the doctor said when he got in there, it was worse than what he thought. But the procedure went well. He got five screws in his neck and a little small brace inside. Everything's excellent."

Two days later, Horton is recovering. He has five screws permanently in his neck and will wear a brace for the next 12 weeks. But he avoided the worst.

"He can walk, everything's wonderful," Darrell Horton said.

Family, friends teammates and coaches along with the Rusk football team all showed their support for a young man who had a passion for football and making people smile.

"I'm just speechless. You know totally unexpected," Darrell Horton said. "I want to congratulate the community of Rusk, the city, the athletic department, all of them. They are some outstanding people."


"Fun, energetic, kind of quiet, but he's a good guy," Horton's longtime friend and Tatum quarterback Ob Jones said. "He lived down the street from my grandma, we rode the same bus together so I've been knowing DJ for a pretty good while."

After watching his friend go down, Jones felt conflicting emotions of concern for Horton and a realization of his own vulnerability on the gridiron.

"You never go into a game expecting something like that to happen," Jones said. "I was like that's crazy cause that could have been me. I hit the ground more than he did I think. I think that was the first time he hit the ground or went for a tackle the whole time."

"It's football and, you know, it's collision and contact. So when a hit was made, you know, we thought, you know, he was going to get up and everything was fine," Rusk assistant coach Jayme Bradley remembered. "But then when he laid there, we kind of stopped. And you know everybody kind of paused a moment and was like, you know, he's not moving or getting up."

As the stadium grew quiet and breathless, the training staff sprang into action, exemplifying calm and professionalism in what was a traumatic situation for some.

"Being around those types of situations, you always monitor the mechanism, the injury on contact, always staying alert, being in tune with the game," Tatum trainer J.J. Malone said. "So I ran out when I seen the tackle. Just paying attention to the game and body language, and I just knew it was a possibility of being something serious."

But while the crowd anxiously waited for the ambulance, D.J.'s parents assumed the worst.

"When I got out there, that's when it really got difficult because he was motionless and wasn't responding," Darrell Horton said. "Paralyzed, paralyzed. That's the only thing going through my head. I haven't gotten to cry like I've wanted to yet, it's there but so it's difficult."

While Horton was rushed the hospital, those on the Rusk sideline could not help but feel a sense of guilt and fear for what happened.

"We're feeling real bad, you know, that after the fact that he didn't get up and the injury," Bradley said. "And it could be worse, you know, hoping nothing that, you know, hurt him for the rest of his life."


"[It's] such a relief [knowing that Horton is not paralyzed]," Malone said. "Personally I wouldn't want to hear anything else."

Despite people assuming the worst, D.J. Horton not only emerged from the injury without any permanent damage, but also retained his personality.

"He's doing well," Jones said of his friend. "He was laughing and talking just picking up where he left off."

Perhaps no one is more surprised of his son's positive attitude than D.J.'s father, who still is struggling to comprehend what could have been.

"He's better than me," Darrell Horton said. "He's happy. He's laughing, you know? He wants company. He wants a lot of Spaghetti-O's."


The vigil Sunday was more about prayer and well-wishes. It took on the tone of communities coming together to support each other.

"I'm bringing his basket, asking when he's going to get on Fortnite later," Jones said.

"At the end of the day, you know, the main thing is [the Rusk football team] wanted to show their support," Bradley said. "They wanted to be here for him and make sure he's okay."

For those who know D.J. and the Horton family, it is not surprising they hold no animosity toward the Rusk players involved in the hit. In fact, D.J. wants to reach out to them and give them his support.

"I was like, 'D.J., what are you going to say to them?' He said, 'Daddy I don't know I just said I want to see them,'" Darrell Horton said. "I said, 'Okay, well now you know what to expect.' He said, 'Well Daddy, they can have Spaghetti-O's.'"

As for the Hortons, the vigil reminded them why they are so proud to be a part of the Tatum community.

"Man I love Tatum. I don't want to be nowhere else," Darrell Horton said. "He's blessed to be here."

But the Hortons are also humbled by the people from all over East Texas who extended their support and prayers to the family, especially D.J.

"I want to thank everybody that's been praying for him," Darrell Horton said. "God bless you and God bless us all."

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