Entertainment

Lamar Odom Press Conference Leaves More Questions

by Kaitlin Reilly

On Tuesday, news broke that Lamar Odom was found unconscious at Dennis Hof's Love Ranch South in Pahrump, Nevada, and was subsequently hospitalized. Though details surrounding the situation have been vague, the reports have still been deeply worrying for those who are fans of Odom's. Now, a press conference about Odom's current condition has revealed some new facts — as well as many other questions.

On Wednesday, Sharon Wehrly of the Nye County, Nevada's Sheriff's office, issued a press conference to update the world on Odom's progress. During the press conference, cops confirmed earlier reports about a ranch worker claiming that Odom may have been using cocaine the weekend before his hospitalization by playing the 911 tapes from the day Odom was taken to the hospital. (Despite the claims made by the phone call, it should be noted that Odom's longtime friend and publicist Eve Sarkisyan gave a statement to Us Weekly, saying, "Family and friends are extremely concerned for Lamar... please don't listen to the false information being circulated unofficially. Please respect the family's privacy during this difficult time.")

Additionally, as Wehrly continued in the press conference, the sheriff's office is currently awaiting the results from the blood report, which should confirm what was in Odom's system at the time he fell unconscious. Officers stated that it is "distinctly possible" that Odom will be prosecuted if they discover cocaine in his system, as a search warrant has been issued for Odom's blood. Though it is still unclear what happened to Odom, the sheriff also reported during the press conference that their office isn't ruling out a suicide attempt.

Apart from this info, no other update was given on Odom's current condition, or the state in which he was found — a fact that raises some questions about the worrying situation surrounding his hospitalization. According to Perez Hilton, hospital witnesses are allegedly reporting that the professional athlete has suffered multiple strokes during his hospital stay, and they're also claiming he's on dialysis to combat kidney failure. Though this has not been confirmed, this possibility paints a worrisome picture of Odom's health. For now, we will have to wait to see what develops.

According to a statement issued by the Nye County Sheriff's Department in Nevada, Odom was taken to a hospital in Las Vegas by ambulance Tuesday, after the 6'10" basketball player was found too large to be airlifted by helicopter. Additionally, according to PEOPLE, Odom's former wife, Khloé Kardashian, and other members of her family rushed to the hospital to be with Odom at his bedside. Though Odom's current condition isn't known, according to TMZ, the manager at the Love Ranch South who was one of the first to find Odom when he fell unconscious, allegedly saw a "mucus-type liquid coming out of [Odom's] nose [and] mouth." As a result, he reportedly called 911 for emergency assistance.

On Tuesday, the Sheriff of Nye County issues a press release regarding Odom's condition:

Bustle reached out to Odom’s rep for comment in response to these reports, but has not heard back yet.