USC running back Stafon Johnson is in critical but stable condition after undergoing more than seven hours of surgery following a freak weight lifting accident that crushed his neck and larynx.

“It [weight bar] hit him with a lot of force, and it hurt him,” coach Pete Carroll. “No broken bones as far as I understand, but he’s got some damage in there somewhere, and they’re working it out, trying to figure out what it is. … It is serious. He did get hurt, so we don’t know exactly what it is, and they’re not going to know until they go through the surgery.”

Johnson, 5-foot-11, 210-pound senior, is currently the Trojans second-leading rusher and their goal-line specialist, but he is not expected to play anymore this season.

We hope he can make a full recovery.