Pride of Detroit
On the first play of the fourth quarter of the Detroit Lions vs. Atlanta Falcons preseason game, Lions safety Morice Norris suffered what appeared to be a very serious injury. Norris came crashing down from the high safety position in order to make a tackle attempt on Falcons running back Nate Carter. During the play, it appeared Carter’s leg came into violent contact with Norris’ head, and the Lions defensive back initially appeared motionless.
Immediately, medical crews came onto the field with a backboard to support Norris. Shortly after that, an ambulance had to be driven onto the field to help Norris.
The entire team came to the center of the field with coach Dan Campbell delivering a message to the players. The broadcast reported that Norris was at least blinking as he was being loaded into the ambulance.
As a way to honor Norris and take care of the players’ mental health, the Lions and Falcons essentially agreed to forfeit the rest of the game. Atlanta took the next snap, and quarterback Emory Jones just stood there with the football for the final 14:50 with the Lions showing no attempt to tackle him. At one point, the team gathered together in a circle holding each other hands. When the game clock moved to 6:19 left, the officials declared the game suspended.
This is an ongoing situation. We will continue to update this post as more information comes in. But for now, keep Norris and his family in your thoughts and hope for good news on the Lions defender.
UPDATE: The team offered this official update shortly after the conclusion of the game:
Coach Dan Campbell also offered this update:
