Friday night's preseason matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions was ended after a frightening moment during the fourth quarter that led to Lions CB Morice Norris being forced to leave the game via ambulance following an attempted tackle.
Fortunately, reports indicate that Norris has feeling and movement in his extremities. His health is the most important thing coming out of the exhibition game. The health of any player should always be the primary concern whenever they need to leave the field in an ambulance.
With two former players leading each team on the sidelines, the impact of Norris's injury on the rest of the players participating in the game was not lost on Morris or Detroit's Dan Campbell. This is one of the reasons why the two coaches agreed to end the preseason game at that point.
Raheem Morris Explains Decision to Halt Game After Morice Norris Injury
“Just Dan and myself, respect for his family, Morice Norris, it was that simple,” Morris said, via Michael David Smith of NBC Sports. “There’s not a lot of times that happens. I can’t sit here and tell you I’ve been through a lot of those or seen a lot of those. I don’t think any of us have. That was the moment decision and it was the right thing to do for our football team and the Lions’ football team with what happened tonight.”
Following Norris's injury, the Falcons took one final snap with 14:31 remaining in the fourth quarter, and the game was ended at that point. The decision has drawn praise from fans of Atlanta and Detroit, as some things are just bigger than a game.
While there has been no comment from the league regarding the call made by Morris and Campbell, the Falcons head coach knows that the two made the right call and is not concerned about any potential backlash from the NFL for ending a game with, essentially, an entire quarter left to play.
“I don’t know. That wasn’t in my thought right now,” Morris said. “The thought process for both of us was about Morice Norris and his family. That’s what it’s all about.”
Given the overwhelmingly positive response to the call to halt the game at that point, it would be a disastrous decision from a PR perspective for the NFL to make any statement regarding the conclusion of the matchup that doesn't fully back both Morris and Campbell.
In the end, the Lions will pick up a 17-10 victory over the Falcons. However, judging from what Morris had to say in the aftermath of Norris's injury, Atlanta's head coach couldn't be less concerned with how the exhibition will be viewed in the standings.