Detroit Lions safety Morice Norris took the time to share a message about the importance of prayer after suffering a serious on-field injury this past weekend.
The scary moment came during the Lions’ preseason matchup against the Atlanta Falcons on Friday night. While going to tackle Falcons rookie Nathan Carter, Norris’ head connected with Carter’s knee, knocking the Lions safety’s head backwards.
“Norris immediately collapsed and, soon after, was seen suffering seizures on the field,” according to Outkick. He was then placed on a stretcher and transported to Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital.
Both teams agreed to suspend the rest of the game, allowing the remaining minutes of play to tick to zero. Members from both teams also gathered at midfield for a moment of prayer.
Norris was deemed to be in stable condition after arriving at the hospital and has since “returned to the Lions’ practice facility,” according to ESPN. On Saturday, he issued a social media post expressing his gratitude for “all the check ins and love.” More significantly, however, he shared a poignant message from another user about the importance of prayer and being “Grateful When You Pray.”
“When you talk to God, make sure gratitude is part of your prayer,” the screenshotted message shared by Norris reads. “It is easy to focus only on what we need, but taking time to thank Him changes our hearts and deepens our trust. Gratitude shifts our prayers from a list of requests to a conversation filled with love and faith. Remember, no matter what you are going through, there is always something to thank God for, and when you do, you will feel His peace.”
The shared message concluded by citing 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”).
Friday night’s incident isn’t the first in which a serious player injury has brought God to the forefront of modern sports.
In January 2023, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suddenly went into cardiac arrest during the team’s matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Hamlin’s dire scenario evolved into a miraculous recovery in the weeks that followed, prompting teammates like quarterback Josh Allen to glorify God and recognize His glory.
“It was kind of a spiritual awakening, really, for me,” Allen said at the time. “I know for a lot of other people that maybe didn’t have the strongest belief, or wasn’t the biggest [or] strongest Christian followers.”
“It’s something I’ve never felt before,” he continued. “It’s something that I know a lot of my teammates have never felt before, and you can’t do anything about it but accept it and lean on your brothers and share that moment with them.”
Allen would go on to win NFL MVP for the 2024 season — an honor for which he thanked God “first and foremost.”
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood