Saturday night’s preseason game between the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers ended early after cornerback Isaiah Bolden was stretchered off the field, but it appears the rookie avoided a serious injury.
Bolden collided with a teammate early in the fourth quarter while trying to make a tackle on Packers wide receiver Malik Heath. The Patriots defensive back was completely motionless for several seconds on the ground in what was a frightening scene.
Bolden was placed on a stretcher and taken to a hospital for evaluation. The Patriots said in a statement shortly after the incident that Bolden had feeling in all of his extremities. On Sunday, the Patriots announced that the former Jackson State star was released from the hospital and traveling back to Massachusetts with the team.
Isaiah Bolden was released from the hospital and will fly home with the Patriots today.
In the wake of his injury, the Patriots have canceled their joint practices with the Titans. They'll practice in Foxboro this week and fly to Nashville only for the preseason game. pic.twitter.com/YVnhDTeXc6
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) August 20, 2023
That is certainly welcome news. Players were visibly shaken following the injury, and both teams agreed to call off the game with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Patriots players said after the game that the scene with Bolden reminded them of what happened with Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin last year. Fortunately, the situation turned out to be far less serious.
