ATLANTA (AP) — Detroit safety Morice Norris was attended to for about 20 minutes and taken off the field in an ambulance during the Lions' preseason game Friday night against Atlanta, with the game ending with 6:31 to go after the players let the clock run.
Norris was hurt with 14:50 to go trying to tackle Atlanta running back Nathan Carter.
“We’re just praying for Mo and ask that everybody prays for him,” said Lions coach Dan Campbell, who said he had “positive information” from hospital.
“He’s breathing. He’s talking. He has some movement,” Campbell added.
Norris, listed as Detroit's second-team safety, suffered the injury when trying to tackle Carter, an Atlanta rookie.
Norris hit Carter with his facemask facing the running back’s midsection, and his head snapped back after making the hit.
Lions quarterback Kyle Allen said it was immediately obvious the medical personnel saw this as a serious injury.
“Usually you see a couple trainers out there,” Allen said. “It’s never good when they bring out the stretchers. We just started praying for him and hoping for the best.
“When it’s taking that long, with that many people and that many trainers around him, you’re just hoping for the best.”
Added Allen: “It’s just awful. ... You sign up for football and you understand the risk, you understand the injury risk. You never think something like that is going to happen.
“At the end of the day we’re all out here as football players. We may be on 32 different teams but we’ve all played football our whole lives and had our own injuries and been through it.”
When play resumed, Falcons quarterback Emory Jones took a snap and then held the ball as players from both teams stood at the line of scrimmage and the clock continued to run. Finally, with 6:31 left, an official announced the game had been suspended “per New York.”
The Lions led 17-10 when played was stopped.
Campbell and Falcons coach Raheem Morris made the decision to not finish the game.
“Raheem Morris is a class act,” Campbell said. “He's the ultimate class act. We agreed it just didn't feel right to finish that game.”
Allen said the decision to not finish the game was easy to make.
“I don't think anyone on that sideline wanted to play,” Allen said. “We weren't part of that decision but you could look in anyone's eyes and see that.”
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