August 10, 2025
Norris’ harm to his head and neck space throughout the fourth quarter of preseason sport between the Lions and Falcons ended the sport as each side refused to proceed taking part in.
The Detroit Lions supplied an encouraging replace concerning the standing of Morice Norris, a previously undrafted second-year security, whose harm to his head and neck space throughout the fourth quarter of the Aug. 8 preseason sport between the Lions and Falcons introduced an finish to the sport as each side refused to proceed taking part in and let the clock run out on the sport.
In response to a press release the staff launched on its X account after his harm, “Morice Norris is in steady situation and has feeling and motion in all his extremities. He’ll stay at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta in a single day for commentary.”
They concluded, “We want to thank the Atlanta Falcons group, the EMS staff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the docs and employees at Grady for his or her help.”
As The Athletic reported, throughout the press convention after the sport’s conclusion, Lions head coach Dan Campbell provided reward to Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, after the 2 coaches got here to an settlement that the sport didn’t have to proceed after the harm.
Campbell famous that the staff obtained “some constructive data” concerning the standing of Norris, earlier than persevering with, “He’s respiration. He’s speaking. He’s bought some motion. They’re operating extra assessments. Raheem Morris is a category act. He’s the last word class act. We agreed it simply didn’t really feel proper to complete the sport. That man is a category act, at all times has been.”
Campbell concluded, “I advised them (the Detroit Lions gamers) we’re taking knees, they’re and we’re till this factor is over. The child simply desires to get higher on daily basis. I don’t even know what else to say. We may have some staff members keep again. We’ve got some gamers who wish to see him. I do know his mother is with him.”
Morris additionally addressed the harm in his feedback to the media, stating his perception that ending the sport was the precise name for each groups.
“There’s not lots of occasions that occurs,” Morris mentioned. “I can’t sit right here and let you know I’ve been by means of lots of these or seen lots of these. I don’t suppose any of us have. That was the second, the choice. It was the precise factor for (each) soccer groups.”
Gamers from each groups additionally addressed the incident of their feedback to reporters.
Falcons large receiver Casey Washington mentioned that he’s certain that Norris is being taken care of by a better energy and famous how tough it was for him to see an harm like that.
“As quickly because it occurred, I simply took a knee and began praying. I do know God is watching out for us. I do know he’s bought a hand on him. I’m praying for his mother and praying for his household. All people on the sideline was simply standing there, and the clock continued to go. It was robust. All of the gamers have been affected by it. We’ve got been taking part in this sport for the reason that age of 5, and to see one thing like that’s robust to see. It’s emotional. God bless him.”
Norris’ teammate, quarterback Kyle Allen, famous that though gamers know the way violent the sport of soccer is, they by no means anticipate an harm just like the one they watched occur to Norris to happen.
“It’s simply terrible. You join soccer, you perceive danger and placing your physique on the road, however you by no means suppose one thing like that’s going to occur. We’ve all performed soccer our entire lives, and while you’re on that area and see that, you perceive how harmful it truly is on the market. On the finish of the day, we’re all soccer gamers,” Allen mentioned.
The morning after the sport, Norris posted an replace on his Instagram account, captioning a Bible devotional he posted with a brief message, “I’m all good…respect all of the examine ins and love.”
On the native Detroit-area broadcast of the sport, play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti provided his perspective on the way in which that the Lions and Falcons head coaches elected to finish the sport; it stood in stark distinction to the way in which a earlier traumatic harm to Buffalo Payments security Damar Hamlin performed out in 2023.
“It is among the stunning reminders of how we’re all linked in life…” Benetti mentioned on the sport broadcast. “It doesn’t matter what colour you’re sporting, it doesn’t matter what helmet you’re sporting, it doesn’t matter what perception you’ve gotten, someone’s down and damage. You don’t learn about them. You maintain your coronary heart and their coronary heart and everyone’s coronary heart within the constructing and past — and the Lions and Falcons have given everyone a lesson tonight in humanity.”
Regardless of this, nonetheless, though the groups clearly had no real interest in finishing the sport, it took the sport’s officers roughly eight minutes—the groups snapped the ball and gathered in a circle with out making an attempt an precise play as time ticked off the clock—earlier than they formally suspended the sport.
This context isn’t all that completely different from the questions that surrounded the dearth of motion from the league following Hamlin’s harm, questions like “why would the NFL proceed the sport in any respect after gamers simply watched a participant get taken off the sector on a stretcher?”
As Campbell famous, watching each groups come collectively after the traumatic harm was a reminder of simply how fleeting an NFL profession may be.
“It’s simply an eye-opener. It hits. It hits a bit of completely different, and it places issues in perspective. I let you know what, man, it’s a violent sport. We like it, however when stuff like this occurs, the silver lining is the brotherhood. To see all these guys, from that staff, our staff type of come collectively and everyone is considering one other participant, it simply means quite a bit.”
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