High school football star may never walk again after getting shot outside his home
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (WCCO) - A football star who had his whole future ahead of him is facing a new reality after a shooting that left him paralyzed from the knees down.
Michael Blidi Jr. was a star outside linebacker at his Pennsylvania high school and had a full ride scholarship to play football at an Iowa community college. But doctors say he may never walk again after he was shot while living with his father in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
As Blidi Jr. was standing outside his home in the early morning hours of May 29, he was shot in the abdomen by a masked man who got out of a car.
His father, Michael Blidi Sr., recalled the incident.
“I came down here. I just heard him, ‘Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad.’ I went downstairs, and he was on the floor, bleeding profusely,” the older Michael Blidi said. “I just thought my son was dying.”
Though Blidi Jr. survived, he is now paralyzed from the knees down. Doctors told his family he will likely never walk again.
“The doctor came to me and said, ‘He’s not going to walk again.’ That broke my heart,” his father said.
Court documents say the shooting stemmed from an altercation during a basketball game at a park. Days later, men wearing ski masks drove by Blidi Jr.’s home, and one of them fired a shot before fleeing the scene.
“I look and see a car that doesn’t really look familiar. I see people hop out with ski masks on. I just heard a loud sound, and I felt myself drop,” Blidi Jr. said.
Blidi Jr. is still recovering in the hospital and working on physical therapy, hoping to someday walk and play football once again.
“Through it all, keep your head up,” he said.
With an uncertain future, Blidi Sr. says he’s just thankful his son is still alive.
“He do have faith. He has high spirits. We’ll hope that this turns out for the best,” the father said.
Police have arrested one man who they believe helped the shooters. The investigation is ongoing.
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