A Flight for Life helicopter carried a Rockford College football player to Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah after he had difficulty breathing following Lakeland’s Oct. 9 home game against Rockford, according to the Sheboygan Press.

Ryan Marlow, a freshman tight end at Rockford, sustained a hit on the last play of the game, according to Rockford head coach Patrick Babcock. Babcock said Marlow was having trouble breathing following a postgame meeting on the field.

The Press reported that Theda Clark released Marlow to his home Monday. Babcock said Marlow suffered a brain contusion.

“He’s feeling better, but he took a shot to the head and you just don’t come back from something like that,” Babcock said. “He’ll be out for the rest of the year. He’s coming back around, though.”

Trainers from both teams attended to Marlow while emergency medical help was called. About 40 minutes after the game, at 4:20 p.m., a Flight for Life helicopter from Fond du Lac left with Marlow.

Head Lakeland athletic trainer Dona Richardson, who attended to Marlow after the game, said he exhibited concussive symptoms. She added that there was hearsay from Lakeland football players that Marlow took a hit earlier in the game.

Richardson applauded the cooperation of Lakeland and Rockford training staffs, first responders, and doctors in the Flight for Life helicopter.

“I’ve seen other situations like this where different medical personnel are involved that ended in confrontation,” she said.

Lakeland Director of Communications David Gallianetti and football coach Kevin Doherty said they helped clear the field as soon as Flight for Life was called.

Gallianetti said Rockford’s athletic director sent Lakeland Executive V.P. for Student Development Nate Dehne an email praising the way Lakeland officials handled the situation.

“In a crisis situation you always wonder what people are going to do,” Gallianetti said. “It’s nice to know when a situation like that actually happened everyone did their roles and everything turned out fine.”