Thousands of leis to be distributed in support of injured UCF QB McKenzie Milton

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - The family of Central Florida quarterback McKenzie Milton says he has nerve damage in his right leg, but "blood flow has been restored" and he is recovering from the injury suffered during UCF's last game.

Milton was carted off the field during the first half of the Knights' victory at rival South Florida on Friday after getting injured while being tackled. He has been treated at Tampa General Hospital.

Milton's family released a statement Tuesday thanking the doctors and nurses at the hospital and the medical and athletic training staffs at UCF and USF.   The family says the nerve in Milton's leg was "injured but intact." He will have reconstructive knee surgery at an undetermined date.

No. 7 UCF hosts Memphis in the American Athletic Conference championship game Saturday.

Sanjay Srinivasan is a huge UCF fan. He graduated from the school in 1995, and has launched several successful businesses ever since. Today, he's the president of Global Promo in Orlando.

Practically every theme park, chain store, restaurant, and resort orders product from him --  anything from apparel to head wear to giveaway items.  It amounts to tens of millions of units annually and those also include leis.  Leis just happen to be what Srinivasan and the UCF Athletics department thought would be a nice gesture on Saturday.

"We're donating a bunch of leis to the UCF fan base. Everyone who attends should and will get a lei," he said.

The colorful flower necklaces will honor Milton, who was born in Hawaii.

"We wanted to exemplify the Hawaiian culture, so these are more true to the colors of the origin of the lei,"  Srinivasan added. "I'm really excited about our community getting together for this game!"

More than 40,000 leis are expected to be distributed on Saturday.