Former NFL starJordan Shipley is in critical but stable condition after a serious accident at his Texas ranch. The 40-year-old was injured after a machine he was operating "caught fire" and he suffered serious burns. Jordan's wife, Sunny Shipley, shared an emotional statement to her Instagram about the status of her husband's injuries.
She wrote: "He's in a lot of pain, as expected. So they are keeping him sedated and comfortable. At the moment they are taking another look at his burns and looking at his lungs again before they can remove his breathing tube."
Jordan's family released a statement on Tuesday, January 6, saying: "Jordan was involved in an accident this afternoon near his hometown of Burnet. Although he managed to get out [from the machine], it was not before sustaining severe burns on his body in the process."
The statement continued noting that a ranch worker drove Jordan to a local hospital where was care-flighted to Austin to be treated for his burns. He is with his wife, who shared to her Instagram that she "was thankful to be able to be with him" in Austin.
As Jordan recovers from the horrific accident, here's everything HELLO! knows about his wife and kids who are by his side.
Football has been in the couple's life for as long as they've known each other. When Jordan was an eighth-grade quarterback in Rotan, Texas – a very small town in central Texas – he met Sunny, who was a freshman on the cheerleading squad.
The childhood sweethearts tied the knot 12 years after they met, while Jordan played for the Cincinnati Bengals. 600 guests attended the wedding, including many of Jordan's NFL friends.
Sunny graduated from Belmont University in Nashville – a well known music and performing arts college. Just out of college, she landed a publishing deal and wrote songs for three years. After years as a successful songwriter behind the scenes, Sunny released her debut album, Out of the Sky, in 2019.
Just before she and Jordan married, the couple got into a car accident that broke Sunny's neck. While she rehabilitated, she was diagnosed with Lyme disease, Epstein-Barr Virus, and endometriosis.
"My body just kind of shut down and I was honestly bedridden for about a year off and on," Sunny told ATX Woman in 2019. "We had to move back to Texas so I could recover, and I honestly thought I was never going to be able to do [music] again because I didn't have energy."
In 2020, nine years after they tied the knot, the couple welcomed their first son – Swayde Jordan Shipley. When he was born, Jordan posted to Instagram, writing: "The Lord has blessed us with so much more than we deserve, and the biggest blessing of all arrived this morning." A year later, Jordan and Sunny welcomed their second son, Shield Fisher Shipley.
The parents raise their children near Burnet, Texas, which is about an hour outside of Austin. The couple own a coffee shop in the town – converting an old house into a center for the caffeinated. Jordan and Sunny told Fox 7 Austin in December: "We've driven by [the old Craddock House] forever, and [Sunny] loves historic buildings."
While in the NFL, Jordan played for the Bengals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. But he isn't the only Shipley with a football background. His younger brother, Jaxon Shipley, 33, played college football at the University of Texas and was in the NFL for a season with the Arizona Cardinals.
After Jordan's accident, Jaxon posted to his Instagram, writing: "My hero. Please lift Jordan up in prayer." He also shared a video of patrons visiting Jordan and Sunny's coffee shop, saying: "Some people are just so kind. Gives me hope."
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end wrapped his 13th NFL season with a loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, and is now fielding talks of stepping away from the game