Friday evening’s preseason game between the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons was delivered to an early finish after Lions defensive again Morice Norris suffered what seemed to be a severe damage. Norris, a second-year cornerback out of Fresno State, was taken off the sector at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in an ambulance after showing to be knocked unconscious whereas making an attempt to make a sort out early within the fourth quarter.
Norris didn’t stand up after trying to make a sort out, and replay showed that his head appeared to snap back because it hit the leg of Falcons operating again Nathan Carter. He acquired vital medical consideration afterwards earlier than lastly being loaded into an ambulance, with the Lions’ broadcast crew reporting that Norris was blinking his eyes by the point he was taken off the sector.
With respect to the severity of the damage to Norris, the Lions and the Falcons elected to simply let the sport clock run out. Sooner or later, 22 gamers — 11 members of every squad — got here out to the middle of the sector, stood in a circle and held arms for just a few seconds. The Lions had been main 17-10 on the time.
Lions coach Dan Campbell offered a relatively positive update in post-game, saying that Norris is respiratory, speaking, and has some motion. Campbell additionally confirmed that the choice to cease the sport was a mutual one between himself and Falcons coach Raheem Morris — Each groups stopped taking part in after Falcons quarterback Emory Jones took the snap and held onto the ball, operating the clock out till the NFL suspended play for good with 6:31 remaining within the fourth quarter.
When requested if the NFL league workplace could be upset about each groups operating out the clock, Morris informed reporters with Atlanta that he was uncertain and that the choice was made out of respect to Norris. “It is not in my ideas proper now,” Morris said. “My ideas are about Morice Norris and his household. That is all.”
Norris, who signed with the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2024, spent a lot of his first NFL season on the staff’s apply squad earlier than being promoted to the energetic roster late within the season. Norris is trying to make the Lions’ preliminary 53-man roster for the primary time.