Rookie New England Patriots cornerback Isaiah Bolden was released from a Wisconsin hospital Sunday morning after suffering a blow to the head that left him unmoving on the field during his team’s second preseason game against the Green Bay Packers—marking the second time in as many years an NFL matchup ended early due to a major injury.
Isaiah Bolden, 7, of the New England Patriots lays on the field after being injured in the fourth ... [+]
Bolden, 23, was attempting to tackle Packers receiver Malik Heath in the fourth quarter of Saturday night's game when he collided head-on with his own teammate, linebacker Calvin Munson.
Bolden appeared to lay motionless on the ground before trainers attended to him and took him off the field on a stretcher.
The Patriots have not said what injuries Bolden suffered other than to say he "had feeling in all his extremities" before heading to Aurora Bay Medical Center, where he was kept for overnight observation.
The team was set to be away from home for almost two weeks but will now return to New England early with Bolden in tow, canceling planned practices with the Tennessee Titans before traveling to Nashville for a preseason game on Friday.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs, 87, catches a pass over New England Patriots cornerback ... [+]
Last year's Week 17 match-up against the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills was the first NFL game to ever be suspended and not resumed the same day, after safety Damar Hamlin suffered an on-field cardiac arrest following a hit to the chest. Hamlin has since been cleared to return to football and played against the Indianapolis Colts last week.
"He’s a young man that always has a smile on his face, is always positive, is always bringing great energy to practice," New England Patriots captain Matthew Slater said of Bolden.
Bolden was a four-star recruit in high school and played college football at Florida State and Jackson State before he was drafted by the Patriots in the seventh round of the 2023 draft. Safety Jalen Mills called him a "great rookie,” the Athletic reported, and the team has praised his speed on the field—he ran a 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds before he was drafted. Bolden isn’t the first person to be injured in a preseason game this year—Buccaneers quarterback John Wolford was taken off the field on a stretcher Saturday after a neck injury in a game against the New York Jets. Packers Tight End Tyler Davis tore his ACL in the team's preseason opener against the Bengals and linebacker Shaun Bradley tore his Achilles during a matchup with the Ravens. Both will be out for the season.
New England Patriots players take a knee after an injury to Isaiah Bolden, 7, of the New England ... [+]
If Bolden will be back. The Patriots are scheduled to play the Tennessee Titans on Friday.
The start of the regular season. NFL preseason games will continue through Sunday, Aug. 27 and the first regular season game against the Lions and the Chiefs will take place at 8:20 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7.
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