The mother of Tennessee State linebacker Christion Abercrombie called it a "Terrific Tuesday" because of the continued progress she said her injured son continues to make.
Abercrombie suffered a severe head injury while playing in a game against Vanderbilt on Sept. 29. He underwent emergency surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and has been listed in critical condition since then.
Staci Abercrombie said last week that her son had shown some slight signs of improvement right after the surgery.
On Tuesday, she said via her Twitter account that those signs have become more significant.
"Today is “Terrific Tuesday!” God is working a miracle in Christion! He is moving in a positive direction and making progress. Christion is so strong. He squeezed my hand so hard, my knuckles were popping. Giving God all the glory in this. Keep praying. #ChristionStrong"
TSU coach Rod Reed said Staci Abercrombie texted him as soon as she received the response from her son.
"(Abercrombie) is showing improvement, doing some things that are really positive," Reed said. "We've just got to keep praying and hopefully he will continue to progress on a daily basis. All those things that he is doing shows that his brain is functioning in some capacity, and those were the things that we were concerned with. I'm really happy for him and his family right now."
Reed said several of his players continue to visit Abercrombie and his family each day.
"The season is not going to stop. We've got to press forward," Reed said. "But our thoughts and prayers are always with Christion. A lot guys throughout the day are going over to the hospital checking on him. I went over (Monday) night after practice and there were a couple of guys over there."
Photos: Tennessee State vs. Vanderbilt football
Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason also has visited Abercrombie and his family several times since the injury. Mason was at the hospital Tuesday and also provided a positive report on Abercrombie's progress to the media at his weekly news conference.
"Christion's doing better; that's a blessing," Mason said. "He is responding. Monday he was able to count to four with his fingers. That's a good thing, so things are moving in the right direction."
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.
