TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Wyatt Sexton, the Florida State quarterback who was found disheveled and disoriented on a city street last month, has been diagnosed with Lyme disease and will miss the upcoming season, the university reported Saturday.
Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said the university would seek a sixth year of eligibility for Sexton, who has already used his redshirt season. He is the Seminoles' only experienced quarterback.
"It looks like Wyatt will need several months of treatment and will have to miss the season," Bowden said in a statement.
A specialist in the field of Lyme disease, Dr. S. Chandra Swami from Hermitage, Pa., said Sexton's organs have been infected and recommended intensive antibiotic therapy over a period of months.
"Wyatt has active Lyme Disease that has resulted in neuropsychiatric and cardiovascular deficits," Dr. Swami said.
The disease is curable, but the estimated recovery time for his advanced stage of infection is several months. If untreated, the disease can cause joint swelling and brain inflammation.
"We expect him to fully recover," Sexton's parents, Billy and Joy, said in a statement in the school's release. Billy Sexton is the running backs coach for the Seminoles.
The Seminoles will now choose between a pair of redshirt freshmen, Drew Weatherford and Xavier Lee, as the starting quarterback for their nationally televised season opener Sept. 5 against Miami. The team begins its preseason practice Aug. 9.
Wyatt Sexton was the projected starter at quarterback. He played in 10 games in 2004, completing 55.2 percent of his passes for 1,661 yards and eight touchdowns. He also had eight interceptions.
On June 14, the 20-year-old Sexton was doused by pepper spray and taken to a hospital after he was found lying in the street and identifying himself as God. His parents released a statement a two days later that said drug abuse was not the problem.
In addition to Sexton, the Seminoles could also be without their two linebackers, Ernie Sims and A.J. Nicholson, for the Miami game because of recent run-ins with the law.
