ATLANTA — A freak accident has paralyzed a beloved coach of a metro Atlanta community football team.
Coach Jonathan Magwood broke his neck as he celebrated the end of the season with the 10-year-old kids on his community team.
Channel 2's Diana Davis talked with the coach's fiancée and mother Tuesday.
Magwood coached the Union City Eagles youth football team for years. His fiancée told Davis that he loved the game and the kids.
“Football is his passion. He just transferred his love of football into children because he loves children as well. Some of the little boys on the team told me that he gave them life skills, not only on the football field,” Teaa Allston said.
Allston said Magwood was celebrating the end of the Eagles' season with a banquet at a Peachtree City facility when something tragic happened.
“He was jumping on the trampoline and was supposed to land in the foam pit, but landed on his neck,” Allston said.
He was airlifted to Atlanta Medical Center where doctors gave him the grim news; he broke his neck and was paralyzed.
His mother told Davis that her son whispered a few words to her before doctors took him upstairs.
“The only thing he could say to me was just look at me and just kinda shake his head, 'You know mom, I'm sorry,' but I told him, ‘There's nothing to be sorry about,’” Mallory Magwood said.
Jonathan Magwood has already had surgery to stabilize his spine. Doctors told his mother, the location of the broken vertebrae high up on his neck means the paralysis is complete and permanent.
Doctors told Magwood’s family that he won’t be able to walk again or use his hands, but the coaches’ family said they are praying and hanging on to faith that rehab and maybe a miracle will improve his prognosis.
“I just have to hold on to faith and know that his future will be very bright regardless of this incident. We’re going to be there, we’re not going anywhere,” Allston said.
Allston said she believes in miracles and she has high hopes for his upcoming rehabilitation at Atlanta’s Shepherd Center.
“Hopefully through some rigorous rehabilitation, he will be able to move everything below his neck again and we're standing on God's faith for that,” she said.
Though the coach has health insurance, his bills will be enormous, that's why the community is coming together this weekend for a fundraiser.
“Jonathan has given so much to the community and we’re just asking for the community to reach into their hearts and come out to support Jonathan as he recovers,” Allston said.
The fundraiser being held for the coach is at Ronald Bridges Park in Union City on Dec. 13 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.