Austin, Texas ? Texas point guard T.J. Ford spent four hours being treated by University of Texas medical staff and emergency room doctors at St. David’s Hospital Wednesday night after an incident during a pickup basketball game at a campus gym.

Ford, taken to the hospital by ambulance about 6 p.m., was released about 10 p.m., the university said. He was taken out of the hospital out of sight of reporters.

Team spokesman Scott McConnell refused to answer questions, citing federal privacy laws. Earlier, McConnell had said, “It is not life-threatening.”

“We are aware that he was injured in a pickup game,” McConnell said.

He said Ford was conscious when he arrived and may have had a collision with another player. There were no coaches or trainers on the scene when he was injured.

Seth Galton, a UT sophomore watching the game, said Ford was dribbling up the court when he was slapped on the back of his neck by an unidentified player and fell to the court.

Galton described the contact as “very minor.”

“He was just looking at the sky, no hands or feet moving,” he said in Wednesday’s online edition of the Austin American-Statesman. Galton said Ford was playing with several other Texas basketball players, as well as some football players.

Texas coach Rick Barnes came out of Ford’s emergency room about 7:15 p.m. He was smiling and joking with reporters, but declined comment on Ford’s injury.

Ford, a sophomore All-America, who led the Longhorns to their first Final Four appearance in 56 years. Ford said this week he may leave school early to enter the NBA draft.

Ford won the John R. Wooden Award and the Naismith Award, both college basketball player of the year honors.