Isaiah Bolden, a rookie cornerback for the Patriots, was taken off the field early in the fourth quarter, forcing the cancellation of New England’s preseason game against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night.
GREEN BAY, Wisconsin: The teammates of New England Patriots cornerback Isaiah Bolden couldn’t help but think of Damar Hamlin as he lay on the field nursing a catastrophic injury.
Bolden was helped off the field early in the fourth quarter of New England’s preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, and the game was cancelled on Saturday night.
The incident occurred more than seven months after Buffalo Bills safety Kirk Hamlin, who made what looked to be a regular tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2, slipped into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the field.
Patriots cornerback Jalen Mills stated, “Of course that’s in the back of all of our minds when something like that happens.”
Following the game, the Patriots said that Bolden was feeling all of his limbs. Late on Saturday night, Patriots spokesperson Stacey James said that Bolden would be kept overnight for observation at a Green Bay hospital. On Sunday morning, the Patriots intend to release an update on Bolden’s condition.
“All we can do is hope,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick stated.
Bolden, a seventh-round selection from Jackson State, seemed to bump into teammate Calvin Munson as he tried to block a Packers pass complete to Malik Heath.
According to Mills, “it looks like just one of those collision hits, those freak hits that you see in this league on rare occasions, that you
We were unable to see him very frequently. As of now, we’re simply asking everyone to keep him in their prayers and hope for the best, even though it appeared like he was moving and that his eyes were open.
Both sides came from their respective sidelines and took on the pitch, with some players taking a knee, as medical staff attended to Bolden.
Following Bolden’s carriage off the pitch, the two teams met and agreed not to play the remainder of the game. With 10:29 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Patriots led 21-17 when the game was paused.
Matthew Slater, a special teams player for the Patriots, stated, “It’s a reminder of the fragility of life.” Though it’s not something we give much thought to, the truth is that everyone who has ever lived on Earth will eventually have to deal with it. This is supposed to be a happy, festive occasion, thus I believe it’s awful that it occurs in this environment and circumstance.
We’re engaged in a game. We are engaged in our passion. People are being entertained by us. People are finding our game to be enjoyable. It serves as a reminder, though, that things can change suddenly.
“As a player, you have to get rid of that thought because you can’t go out there hesitating or fearing, but the truth is, things happen in life and in football, especially, all the time.”
Both teams’ players claimed to have been reminded of Hamlin’s injury.
“It evoked that Damar sensation, and that’s extremely unsettling,” stated Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne.
That is the sensation. All we can do is hope that he gets better. They said that he was responsive and on the move. His neck was hurting a little bit. It appeared to be head-to-head, as if they were in a pile. Sometimes, you simply never know.
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