University of Virginia shooting victim, Mike Hollins, plans to return to football

One of the #UniversityofVirginia shooting victims intends to return to the gridiron.

Mike Hollins, a junior running back, survived a mass shooting on the way back from a school field trip earlier this week that claimed the lives of three of his teammates. His father, Mike Hollins Sr., spoke to The Athletic about his son’s desire to play football again.

The #UVA running back is expected to be out of the hospital “at some point this weekend or early next week,” the father said.

Hollins was shot in the back, and required surgeries to heal complications with his kidneys and small intestine. He could be fully recovered within 2-3 months.

“He’ll be fully recovered,” Hollins Sr. said. “He’s not going to stop playing football. It’s not in him. He’s not a quitter.”

This is how my son thinks. It’s not about him,” Hollins Sr. said. “He’s going to play harder for his friends that died. He’s going to do it for them, not himself.”