The Detroit Lions had a scary moment in Friday’s preseason game when second-year safety Morice Norris was carted off the field in the fourth quarter. Norris was injured on a tackle attempt when his head hit the knee of a Falcons offensive player and laid motionless for several minutes before being loaded into an ambulance.
While the game momentarily continued, it was some creative maneuvering by head coaches Dan Campbell and Raheem Morris that convinced the NFL to suspend play. The thoughts continued to be with Morris after the game, but Campbell delivered some good news as he spoke to reporters on Friday night.
Lions Safety Morice Norris in Stable Condition After Preseason Injury
According to a statement put out by the Lions, Norris is in stable condition and has feeling and movement in all his extremities after suffering an injury on Friday night. He remained at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta overnight for observation, and Campbell confirmed he received “some positive information” on the safety's status according to Colton Pouncy of The Athletic.
“He’s breathing. He’s talking. He’s got some movement. They are running more tests,” Campbell said.
A pair of Lions teammates also noted that there were positive signs following Norris’s injury. Cornerback Terrion Arnold posted on X posted “He’s good all glory to God” with a prayer emoji late on Friday night, and fellow secondary mate Ennis Rakestraw posted a photo of him Facetiming Norris with the caption “We talking he good.”
He’s good all glory to God🙏🏾
— Terrion Arnold (@ArnoldTerrion) August 9, 2025
🙏🏾🙏🏾 we talking he good pic.twitter.com/TjMTSMFKgK
— Ennis Rakestraw Jr (@EnnisRakestraw) August 9, 2025
Campbell also thanked Falcons head coach Morris for his handling of the situation. After telling Morris that he planned on taking a knee every play until the game was over, Falcons quarterback Emory Jones took the snap and held onto the football without taking a knee. Both sides gathered for a prayer as the clock ran down, and the NFL stepped in and called the game with 6:31 remaining.
“Raheem Morris is a class act,” Campbell said via Pouncy. “He is the ultimate class act. We agreed it just didn’t feel right to finish the game. That man is a class act, always has been.”
Norris is a second-year safety out of Fresno State, who was looking to make the team as a backup to Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph. After appearing in two games in his rookie season, Norris was making progress thanks to his aggressive playing style and was building a case to win a spot on the roster.
“The kid just wants to get better every day,” Campbell said of Norris. “I don’t even know what else to say. We will have some team members stay back. We have some players who want to see him. I know his mom is with him.”