Former Hawkeye Greenwood hospitalized after collapse

Former University of Iowa and Pleasant Valley High School football star Brett Greenwood collapsed while working out Friday and is in intensive care at Trinity in Bettendorf, according to the Quad City Times.

Trinity officials said Greenwood is in critical condition and will be transported to University Hospitals in Iowa City.

Pleasant Valley athletics director Randy Teymer told the Times that Greenwood worked out at the high school's field Friday when he collapsed around 3 p.m.

Greenwood, 23, was a four-year starter at Iowa and was named second-team All-Big Ten each of the past two years. He signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but was released in the final round of NFL cuts last weekend.

Rumors ran fast and furious Friday night on Greenwood. A couple former Hawkeyes took to social media to set the record straight.

Former Hawkeye safety Tyler Sash played alongside Greenwood for three seasons. He tweeted a call for prayers Friday night.

"My prayers are with Brett Greenwood. He is alive and on his way to IC [Iowa City]. He has overcome every challenge throughout his life. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Most people only knew the football player; I was blessed to know the person as well."

Former Hawkeye and Indianapolis Colts linebacker Pat Angerer is from Bettendorf, where Greenwood lives. He offered his thoughts on Facebook.

"Just to let everyone know, Greenwood is alive and he's fighting this thing. Please pray for him and send positive thoughts his way. Never count out a Hawk."

Former Iowa wide receiver Colin Sandeman, also from Bettendorf,  tweeted that Greenwood was stable. It was also reportedly announced at the Pleasant Valley football game that he was stable. The Quad City Times reported Teymer thought Greenwood was on a ventilator.

Greenwood's rise in the Iowa program was meteoric.

He went from walk-on freshman who dressed for road trips but didn't play his first year to starting free safety as a redshirt freshman. He stayed there for four years, making 29 straight starts until an injury kept him out of the 2009 Northwestern game.

"Being around him, he prepared like he was ready to play even though he was red-shirting," Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said in 2007. "He has a great attitude and is a great athlete. We like what we have seen so far."

Last season, Greenwood had five interceptions that led the Big Ten and tied for 22nd nationally. He's tied for sixth on Iowa career list with 12 interceptions. He also totaled 229 career tackles to tie for 41st on career list.

Greenwood's dad, Dave, a Cedar Rapids Kennedy graduate, was a first-team all-Big 8 offensive lineman at Iowa State in 1976. Brett's sister, Lindsey, earned a soccer scholarship at Nebraska.

"He's a straight arrow," former Pleasant Valley coach Ed Morrissey told The Gazette for a 2007 story. "He's the hardest worker I ever had. He's the kind of kid you put a lot of faith in."