A post on New York Jets cornerback Kris Boyd's Instagram account on Wednesday suggested he has started to breathe on his own after being shot in midtown Manhattan early Sunday morning.
Boyd's Instagram Stories feature a picture of the special teams standout lying down and smiling in what appears to be his hospital bed, with the words "God is real, God is powerful" at the top of the image.
"I'm sorry I have no words at the moment," Boyd wrote. "Just grateful! I'm coming along, starting to breathe on my own now. Sincerely appreciate everyone!"
The post came a few hours after Jets coach Aaron Glenn said he had spoken to Boyd and is confident Boyd will be OK.
He added that Boyd was "upbeat" in their recent conversation.
"That's what eases my mind, is that he's in good spirits," Glenn said. "His wife and his kid, they're in good spirits and he will walk away from this just fine."
Glenn was unsure when Boyd might be released from the hospital, where he has been listed in critical but stable condition.
"Don't know just yet," the coach said. "But I will say this, just talking to him, he felt really upbeat. And again, that's what gives me comfort, that he feels like that and he's talking that way."
New York police released surveillance images Monday of a man sought in the shooting of Boyd. A motive for the shooting remains under investigation and authorities said it's not clear if Boyd was targeted by the shooter. No other injuries were reported.
The shooting happened just after 2am Sunday about halfway between Madison Square Garden and Times Square.
Boyd, 29, was taken to Bellevue Hospital after being shot in the abdomen, police said. The shooter fled the scene.
Glenn said Boyd has been on his mind "a ton" since he heard about the shooting. The coach said Boyd and his wife recently welcomed a baby.
"The first thing I thought about, he just had a kid," Glenn said. "And I'm thinking about his wife, I'm thinking about his kid and I want to make sure that he's OK. And that's the only thing that really went through my mind.
"There's a process to this, which I won't get into, but I'm happy at the fact that he's going to come out of this thing really, really well."
Boyd hasn't played this season, his first with the Jets, after going on the season-ending injured reserve list on August 18 with a shoulder injury that required surgery to repair.
He signed with New York as a free agent in March and was expected to be a key part of a revamped special teams unit under Glenn and special teams coordinator Chris Banjo. But Boyd was injured during a training camp practice August 2 and carted from the field.
Boyd has remained around the team throughout the season while recovering from the shoulder injury.
"He's been a part of what we're doing," Glenn said. "I mean, he comes to the games all the time. He's fully engaged. To be one of the top special teams players in this league, he's done a really good job of helping the other guys we have."
Boyd, a Texas native, played his first four seasons with Minnesota after being a seventh-round pick by the Vikings out of the University of Texas in 2019. He signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2023 and then joined Houston's practice squad later that season. Boyd signed a one-year contract worth $1.6m with the Jets in March.
