Lions: Morice Norris in Concussion Protocol, Report Good Progress

Lions’ Morice Norris Enters Concussion Protocol

Detroit Lions safety Morice Norris has returned to the team and entered concussion protocol after suffering a concerning injury in Friday’s preseason game against Atlanta.

Obviously, Mo is back with us. He’s doing well. It’s good to have him back and he’s fine. He’s in concussion protocol. We’re going to take it easy to make sure he’s okay over the next, let’s say, 10 to 14 days and re-evaluate, so that’s good news.

Dan Campbell, Lions Coach

The scene was shocking at the beginning of the last quarter, when Norris was taken off the field on a stretcher and transported by ambulance. His head moved backward as he fell while trying to tackle the Falcons’ running back, Nathan Carter. The officiating crew announced the suspension of the match after Campbell and Atlanta coach Raheem Morris decided not to continue the game. Players from both teams joined together to show their support for Norris while he received medical attention on the field.

Raheem and I agreed that’s what we were going to do. We spoke with NFL official Shawn Hochuli, who let us know that ‘the game was still in progress’. And we communicated with each other. We told Shawn we would kneel, and he said, ‘I understand’. And so it was, and the game was canceled.

Dan Campbell, Lions Coach

Following the injury, Norris was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta for observation and returned to a stable condition, regaining feeling and movement in all his limbs. Two days later, he returned to the Lions’ training facilities with his teammates, after sharing that he was “okay” via social media, thanking everyone for their support. Campbell was happy to see him back.

Everyone was excited to see him. It’s a breath of fresh air. It’s tough when something like that happens and you don’t know. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen players with concussions, knocked out. I’ve had them myself.

Dan Campbell, Lions Coach

The coach added that it’s a different situation when you don’t know what’s going on with the player, but you can see that he’s breathing, and that’s what makes it more difficult.