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Elbrinet Dupras, the Palmetto Ridge football player who collapsed at spring football practice Thursday and was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital, has improved from fair to good condition, John Dunn, a hospital representative, said Saturday night.

The 5-foot-6, 180-pound junior has a subdural hematoma, a brain injury caused when blood gathers between the outer protective covering of the brain and its middle layer.

Dunn said Dupras was supposed to be moved soon from the pediatric intensive care unit, but Palmetto Ridge coach Tim Speakman said Dupras hadn’t yet been moved as of Saturday night.

“He’s actually doing much better ... but he’s still in ICU, and he hasn’t been released or anything yet,” Speakman said. “Right now, he’s not going to be going home anytime soon.”

Although Dupras collapsed at football practice, his injury may not be football-related.

“I keep asking that, and two doctors have told me they think it’s congenital,” Speakman said. “Even if it’s trauma-related, they’re not sure how long ago it would have happened.”

He added that the subdural hematoma is 8 millimeters in diameter.

“They still have to monitor the activity in his brain,” Speakman said. “They’re giving him medication to try and get the blood clot out so that they don’t have to operate, but there’s no guarantee of that.”

Still, Saturday held encouraging signs for the 16-year-old former starting nose tackle and his family.

“He can put a couple words together, and he’s giving them one-word answers,” Speakman said. “The family is starting to have smiles on their faces.”