From the OC Register’s USC blog:

USC tailback Stafon Johnson is expected to be discharged from a Los Angeles hospital Wednesday morning, the school announced.

Johnson, his mother and his surgeon briefly will address the media, although Johnson is restricted from talking, per doctor’s orders.

Great news. And just for fun, a photo of Stafon in the hospital with his teammates, via SB Nation’s Conquest Chronicles:

According to the L.A. Times, Stafon Johnson created a Twitter account from the hospital yesterday to make one tweet:

That's it. One tweet, in which he didn't even use his full 140-character allotment, and he has over 6,000 followers already. Perhaps he plans on tweeting some more as he continues his recovery, especially considering he still cannot speak. Although it would be kind of awesome if he signed up, made this one update, and that was it.

The LA Times is reporting that Stafon Johnson should make a fully recovery from his freak neck injury:

“We definitely are working very hard to get him better, for him and for the rest of his fans,” said Dr. Gudata Hinika, trauma director at California Hospital Medical Center. “So we expect him to be on the football field at some time.”

Just where Johnson will be playing is another issue, however. The USC compliance office has determined that the fourth-year senior may be eligible for a medical redshirt. That said, some believe USC’s touchdown machine is more likely to continue his career in the NFL than at USC.

According to AP, Johnson is giving the thumbs-up signal and communicating with his family after his seven-hour procedure. Doctors are crediting his muscular physique for what has been a positive outcome thus far from a violent weightroom accident, since others “might not have survived” a 275 pound weight dropped directly on the throat.

SbB has been on the story all night. Late Monday night, L.A. sports anchor Curt Sandoval reported on Stafon Johnson’s recovery from a weightlifting injury:

Hospital spokesman tells ABC 7 – USC’s Stafon Johnson won’t play this year after freak accident – but IS expected to make a full recovery!

That’s certainly great news, though it’s also becoming clear just how bad things could have been and how long the road ahead will be for recovery. For instance, the L.A. Times reports that a source said "surgeons had planned to realign Johnson’s larynx and they were hopeful that he would regain his voice."

SB Nation's Concquest Chronicles has the official statement from the hospital, which notes that the procedure took seven hours to complete. His injuries included a crushed vocal chord and Adam's apple, torn muscles and a "threatened airway."

So says a USC spokesperson at 9:08 p.m. PST:

A USC spokesperson said tailback Stafon Johnson remains in surgery and there is no change in the tailback’s condition.

ESPN analyst and former USC football player Brandon Hancock just posted this disturbing info via Twitter:

One source close to Stafon’s mother has said operation may require permanent tracheostomy. Cannot confirm if true. Very serious. Will update

As we wait for official word, there’s already an address set up if you would like to send Stafon some well-wishes or cards.

A surgeon and USC fan posted this pertinent information on WeAreSC in regards to the possibilities regarding Stafon Johnson’s neck injury:

First of all — the thing that every ER doctor and Surgeon is most concerned about — is airway compromise. If there is any possibility at all that the injury will cause difficulty breathing — an endotracheal tube is put in, or an emergency tracheostomy is done. It just doesn’t make any sense at all to take any chances, since it only takes a few minutes of not breathing to cause permanent damage.

Second — while CT scans and MRI’s are fine and dandy — if there is any question at all about significant damage, a neck exploration is the absolute best thing to do. This is a little bit more true for penetrating injury than for blunt injury — but nothing beats being able to inspect every last structure in the neck yourself.

Third — If there has not been any brain damage from having the airway compromised, as a general rule people with blunt neck injury will make a complete recover. Now they may take some time recovering from surgery, and they may have a temporary tracheostomy, but they will recover.

Fourth — the thing after the airway that would cause the most concern is the carotid arteries. Blunt injury to those arteries can cause what’s called intimal flaps that can cause clots and strokes. This is probably not the case with the injury mechanism described, but it is a concern anyway.

Fifth — if we discover that Stafon has had a neck exploration and found to have a fractured thyroid cartilage and has a tracheostomy — it means his surgeons have probably did a superb job taking care of him, and he should make a rapid recovery.

Here’s some video of USC coach Pete Carroll discussing the injury with reporters.

He says that Stafon’s family is there with him in the hospital.

Conquest Chronicles is staying on top of the story for breaking updates.

Why the Internet is awesome, version 5,409: When something like this happens to Stefan Johnson, there is of course an ear, nose and throat doctor among the concerned USC fans, and he (or she) never fails to show up and explain the situation. Whether a lawyer, doctor, or math student at MIT, there is no shortage of specialized knowledge on the sports webs. This is how it always works.

Conquest Chronicles found this post on WeAreSC from just such a doctor, and provided his analysis is credible (it is full of big medical terms, so I’m going to go ahead and trust it) things do not sound good for Stefan Johnson:

I’m board certified in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and also in Facial Plastic Surgery. I’ve seen dozens of these type of injuries over the years. First of all, we should be grateful he is alive and that apparently there are no neurologic problems (stroke, spinal cord injury). He faces potentially a very long road ahead. Bleeding indicates a break in the laryngeal or tracheal mucosa, and generally this is due to fracture of the cartilages. In young people, the cartilage isn’t calcified and it gives quite alot. But it can break. Emergent surgery of this nature is usually due to one of two things- impending airway compromise (due to an expanding hematoma- collection of blood, collapse of airway, or even laryngeal nerve injury, or laryngeal-tracheal separation). In that case they will do a tracheostomy, probably with the patient 100% awake (these are not fun for the surgeon or the patient- I did three last month).

The L.A. Times has an update on Johnson’s situation, and the added bit of info is that Johnson is apparently having surgery for the injury to his throat he incurred from dropping a bar on his chest this morning:

The senior from Dorsey High was lifting weights this morning when he apparently lost control of the bar and it landed on his neck. He was reportedly spitting up blood and was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he is undergoing surgery, according to the USC web site.

Chris Carlisle, USC’s strength and conditioning coach, said such an accident was rare. “I’ve seen players have the bar slip and fall onto their chest, but never in my 25 years of coaching have I heard of someone dropping a bar on their throat,” the coach said.

Carlisle, who was within feet of Johnson when the accident occurred, said an assistant strength and conditioning coach was acting as a “spotter” for the player.

Conquest Chronicles has the scoop, via an on-air ESPN report: USC tailback Stafon Johnson was taken to the hospital today after he dropped a barbell or weight or something heavy on his throat in the Trojans weight room today. The injury caused Johnson to cough up blood, and those around him wasted no time getting him to the hospital immediately.

More on this as it comes in.

For all your USC-related needs, be sure to check out the aforementioned Conquest Chronicles.