An NFL preseason game ended early after a player left on a cart and was taken by ambulance to the emergency room.
The game between the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers ended during the fourth quarter Saturday night after Patriots cornerback Isaiah Bolden was seriously injured.
Patriots-Packers preseason game cut short after player gets carted off, hospitalized https://t.co/XeUkAkHgve
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 21, 2023
"We thank the medical staff at Aurora Bay Medical Center for their overnight evaluations, as well as the Patriots and Packers medical staffs for their immediate on-field response and care in transporting Isaiah to a nearby hospital," the team said in a statement.
Bolden was in the hospital to undergo "a series of evaluations and being held for overnight observations."
Patriots CB Isaiah Bolden was released from the hospital Sunday morning after absorbing a hit from a teammate that led him to be immobilized.
More: https://t.co/rq4131FrvY pic.twitter.com/DjHG0ZZxQ6
— ESPN (@espn) August 20, 2023
"New England Patriots rookie cornerback Isaiah Bolden was released from the hospital Sunday morning after absorbing a hit from a teammate that led him to be immobilized, placed on a stretcher and carted off the field in Saturday night's preseason game against the Green Bay Packers," ESPN reported.
"The Patriots said in a statement that Bolden would travel home with the team Sunday morning. The Patriots didn't disclose the nature of Bolden's injury but a source close to the rookie cornerback said he sustained a concussion," it continued.
NFL preseason game suspended after JSU's IsaiahBolden carted off field https://t.co/lPvX2lzMme
— 16 WAPT News (@16WAPTNews) August 20, 2023
"Appreciate the prayers more excited to be back with the guys," he tweeted.
"Bolden was the only HBCU player selected in the 2023 NFL draft, going in the seventh round to New England," WAPT-TV reported.
Many noted that the scene looked somewhat similar to the injury sustained by the Buffalo Bills Damar Hamlin last season which included a cardiac arrest.
The NFL has increased its safety protocols following Hamlin's life-threatening injury, with the Patriots-Packers preseason game the first game to end early since Hamlin's situation. Updates have also been included concerning concussion requirements as the topic has been under closer evaluation by the league in the past year following high-profile concussions.
The football season is nearly back but its return also includes a reminder of the sport's dangers as even a preseason game can include severe injuries.
