SANFORD, Fla. – FSU football player Ethan Pritchard returned to Sanford on Sunday afternoon to a hero’s welcome.

“They told me I was getting an escort, but I didn’t expect it to be like this,” Pritchard said as dozens cheered, held signs, and wore his signature Seminole High School number 9 jersey.

Sanford resident Lisa Purnell called his recovery remarkable.

“It is a miracle. Sanford is really supporting him — the football team, the students, the parents, and everybody in Sanford. It’s great to see all these people out here,” she said.

Pritchard was shot in the back of the head on Aug. 31 while dropping off family members, in what the FDLE said was a case of mistaken identity. The incident, he said, fueled his determination.

[VIDEO: Florida State football player Ethan Pritchard cr

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