After suffering a neck injury during the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots, defensive back Saivion Smith of the Detroit Lions was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital.
Less than five minutes into the game, Smith—making his first start with the Lions—was hurt while attempting to block Patriots tight end Hunter Henry at the line of scrimmage.
After Hunter gained 23 yards, the 24-year-old defensive back was hauled down, collapsing and lying unmoving close to the line of scrimmage. A medic with a backboard hurried onto the field as soon as one Patriots player took a knee. The Lions report that Smith can move all of his limbs.
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Near the Patriots’ 40-yard line, Smith was surrounded by players, coaches, and staff from both teams before being loaded onto the backboard. A man identified by the CBS broadcast as Smith’s father hopped into the front seat of an ambulance as it left Gillette Stadium and drove onto the field.
Smith, an Alabama native who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019, mostly filled the position of cornerback for the Lions throughout the preseason.
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