Family of Brian Battie shares positive update in shooting recovery

About a week and a half after the last update on Auburn running back Brian Battie was posted, his family has given another encouraging update on the 5-foot-7 scatback.

Battie is now out of the ICU and has “moved on to the next level of trauma care,” the family wrote on a GoFundMe page.

The Auburn running back was shot on May 18, along with four others, including his brother Tommie Battie IV, who was killed. Initially, according to court documents obtained by The Tampa Bay Times, it was feared that Battie could suffer permanent paralysis.

The update posted by the family on June 14 shared some encouraging results.

“He has made great progress this week and is communicating more,” the family wrote. “He is smiling, laughing and getting words out. His two favorite words right now have been Brother and Tommie. He was able to write his name yesterday.

“We are asking all our prayer warriors to continue to pray for Brians recovery and complete healing from the top of Brians head to the soles of his feet! He still has a long road to recovery, we are exploring all our options for the very best Rehabilitation care to cater to his Traumatic Brain Injury. Asking for God to lead our steps as we advocate and research the very best for our Son.”

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze addressed Brian Battie’s condition briefly at SEC spring meetings in late May.

“He’s getting better,” Freeze said according to Richard Silvia of the Montgomery Adviser. “Honor the family, I don’t want to go into too many things. But they appreciate all the prayers, for sure. It’s been a difficult time for the whole family, but he seems to be getting better each day.”

The shooting occurred on May 18 in Battie’s hometown of Sarasota, Fla. His brother, Tommie Battie IV, was pronounced dead at the scene and four others were injured.

Brian Battie was gearing up for his second season at Auburn after transferring from USF. Last year, he served as the Tigers’ primary kickoff returner, totaling 645 return yards on 28 attempts as a junior. As part of the running game, Battie ran for 227 yards and a touchdown while adding 52 receiving yards in the passing game.

Battie spent three years at USF before arriving at Auburn and turned in his best season in 2022. He was the Bulls’ leading rusher with 1,185 yards and eight touchdowns, and he got involved in the passing game with 14 receptions for 91 yards.

Battie played high school football at Sarasota High School (Fla.), where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 1,590 overall recruit in the 2020 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.