Indiana WR Griffith breathing on own after near drowning

Published Mar. 20, 2014 11:45 a.m. ET

foxsports

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Doctors are expecting Indiana wide receiver Isaac Griffith to make a full recovery from a near drowning along Florida's Gulf Coast.

Sarasota Memorial Hospital says Griffith has been brought out of heavy sedation over the past 24 hours and was awake, breathing on his own and responding well to others on Thursday.

A friend rescued the 19-year-old Griffith after he was caught in a rip current Monday at a Sarasota beach and at first was hospitalized in critical condition. The hospital says he is being treating for pneumonia and damage to his lungs but could be moved from the critical care unit in the coming days.

Griffith was a redshirt freshman at Indiana this past season after being a standout at Homestead High School near Fort Wayne, Ind.