Hours after Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora released a statement mourning the death of punter Peter Wilkes, the school said that Wilkes is not dead. But Wilkes is reportedly in grave condition after a gun accident in his home on Thursday night.College Football Talk reports that "Wilkes suffered an irrecoverable injury Thursday night." The Associated Press retracted a story saying Wilkes was dead, adding, "Southern Miss officials and police now say Wilkes is alive." The AP says a new story about Wilkes will be published soon.
On Friday morning Southern Miss published a story on its web site saying Wilkes had died, but as of 5 PM ET Friday, that story has been removed and no more information about Wilkes is on the web site.
Details are still unclear about what exactly happened to Wilkes, but he apparently was shot in an accident at his family home in Tennessee.
UPDATE: The Associated Press reports that Wilkes is being treated in a critical care unit for what police say is under investigation as an accident or self-inflicted gunshot wound. Follow me on Twitter @MichaelDavSmith for further updates on this story.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-09-2009 @ 6:16PM
pgnfishing2 said...
MY DEEPEST PRAYER'S GO OUT TO WILES&FAMILY
GOD BLESS
Reply
10-09-2009 @ 6:19PM
pgnfishing2 said...
|HOW CAN A COACH SAY SOME THING WITH OUT FACT'S
LEAVE TO THE FAMILY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT SHOULD COST A COACH A BIG PENATLY AND FINES AND APPOLOGIZE TO THE FAMILY
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10-09-2009 @ 6:37PM
YOUR GODLEYNESS said...
THERE ARE DIFFERENT STAGES OF DEAD YOU KNOW. SOUNDS LIKE POOR CHILD IS BRAIN DEAD..BLESS HIS SOUL.
10-10-2009 @ 9:53AM
waagtod said...
If some one has the information that someone has died, then expresses sympathy, why should he be fined or ostracised? You seem a cold unfeeling person but maybe you wrote your post without all the information. Kind of like what the coach did.
10-09-2009 @ 7:02PM
interloper said...
tragic
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10-09-2009 @ 7:28PM
jay said...
What does the IRA have to do with it moron? Would you fault GM, or Ford if he had been injured in a car wreck? If it took brains to breathe, you would be dead!
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10-09-2009 @ 7:49PM
jhuffman said...
first off peter is one of my best friends and was going to be my little brother in my fraternity. he is a great kid and will pull though this. as far as the comment about the nra please keep your comments to your self this is hard enough as it is. it was an accident and peter will pull through thank you for your prayers.
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10-09-2009 @ 8:53PM
jgruen2681 said...
God Bless you! Are Prayers are with you! Take Care
10-09-2009 @ 7:49PM
dreamcatchr74 said...
you racist moron. "This is what happens when good white boys hanging around negros"??? what century do you live in? Or should I ask what PLANTATION do you live on. single minded idiot! People like you are the reason my parents had to go to three different states to get married.
Take the mud out of your ears and realize that your an IDIOT!
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10-09-2009 @ 8:45PM
waygibb50 said...
What a jerk the NRA has nothing to do with this. Guns dont kill people, people kill people
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10-09-2009 @ 8:56PM
jgruen2681 said...
PLEASE GO GET A LIFE!! NRA ! DO you even know what they are? Or What they stand for? Please Pray for this man!!
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10-09-2009 @ 9:03PM
river4407 said...
Leave it to the AP to botch a story.
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10-09-2009 @ 9:07PM
Samuel said...
Your an idiot! Everything Jay said about you is true. If this poor boy had been injured in a car wreck you wouldnt have types another one for AAA! You should just be praying for this young man instead of trying to score anti-gun points!
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10-09-2009 @ 11:30PM
mister8116 said...
more like a gun in peoples hands kill! no gun in hands, no one dies!
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10-09-2009 @ 11:37PM
dpkups said...
guns kill people like pencils misspell words and spoons made rosie fat
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10-10-2009 @ 8:55AM
wlh1923 said...
yo dickups
Mixed metaphors and fractured analogies don't make your point at all. Guns do kill people. Those little projectiles that come out of the end? That is how the killing works
10-09-2009 @ 11:39PM
BLILZ08 said...
GUNS KILL. PERIOD!
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10-09-2009 @ 11:41PM
BLILZ08 said...
WHY IS DOG FIGHTING A FELONY AND HUNTING DOWN A DEFENSELESS ANIMAL A SPORT. RIDDLE ME THAT SHIT
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10-09-2009 @ 11:43PM
dpkups said...
cars kill people period outlaw all cars in fact lets tax gas higher so we can make it harder for cars to kill till we can outlaw cars
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10-09-2009 @ 11:47PM
BLILZ08 said...
DONT HATE EVERY NEGRO OUT THERE BECAUSE ONE IS BANGING YOUR WIFE. MAYBE YOU JUST ARENT MAN ENOUGH. THATS WHY YOU HIDE BEHIND A KEYBARD & SPEW YOUR HATE. GOOD NIGHT LIL DICK
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