Friday night’s preseason game between the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions has been suspended.
The game came to an end abruptly early in the 4th quarter after Lions defensive back Morice Norris suffered what appeared to be a significant head injury. Norris was tended to by medical personnel on the field for several minutes before exiting the field in an ambulance.
The play occurred with 14:50 remaining in the 4th quarter. Norris’ head appeared to collide with the knee of running back Nathan Carter at an awkward angle while Norris was attempting to make a tackle.
After Norris was taken away, the Falcons and Lions chose to essentially end the game by remaining idle after the ball was snapped by former Florida quarterback Emory Jones. The teams then came together to pray along the line of scrimmage.
The pause in play continued until there was 6:31 remaining on the clock. At that point, the NFL announced the game would be suspended.
Here’s a clip from the somber moment in Atlanta:
While not much is known at this time about Norris’ condition, concern appears to be high.
Norris went unselected in the 2024 draft after a successful college career at Fresno State. He signed with the Lions as an undrafted free agent and appeared in 2 games last season, but did not record any statistics.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
