Former NFL running back Peyton Hillis remains in the intensive care unit following a swimming accident in Florida in early January.
Hillis was reportedly injured after helping save one of his children and the child of another family member from drowning in the Gulf of Mexico off of Pensacola Beach on Jan. 5. He was then airlifted to a local hospital with damage to the lungs and kidneys.
WREG’s reporter was told that Hillis is “battling and definitely needs as many prayers as he can get.” It’s unclear who provided that update to the reporter.
A prayer vigil was reportedly held for Hillis in his native Arkansas in the football stadium at Shiloh Christian on Sunday.
“It was not a surprise to hear that Peyton went in the water after his child and that he got him to safety and that he was fine, and that he risked his life. And at this point, we’re just praying that that’s not what it’s going to cost him,” vigil organizer Kelsey Eursery told KSFM-TV.
“That’s sacrificial living. That’s, that’s selflessness. It’s going out and risking it to save your kids. I mean, that’s amazing,” added coach Jordan Wright.
Hillis shares his two children with his ex-wife, Amanda Hillis, whom he divorced in 2020.
The 36-year-old played seven seasons in the NFL from 2008 to 2014, spending time with the Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, and New York Giants.
His NFL career totals in 81 games included 696 carries for 2,832 yards and 23 touchdowns and 134 receptions for 1,050 yards and three touchdowns.
He is best known for his 2010 season with Cleveland, when he had 270 carries for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns and 61 receptions for 477 yards and two touchdowns.
Since retiring from the NFL in 2014, Hillis had been trying his hand at acting. In 2021, he made his film debut in the horror film “The Hunting.”