Mike ReyesESPN staff writer3 minutes of reading
Bill Belichick, Matthew Slater react to Isaiah Bolton’s injury
Bill Belichick and Matthew Slater talk about the horrific injury to Patriots cornerback Isaiah Bolton that ended their season opener against the Packers.
Bolton will travel home with the team Sunday morning, the Patriots said in a statement.
Saturday night’s game was suspended early in the fourth quarter due to an injury. According to the team, Bolton was “feeling all of his extremities” and remained at Aurora BayCare Medical Center in Green Bay for observation overnight.
“We are grateful for the overnight evaluation by the medical staff at Aurora Bay Medical Center, as well as the Patriots and Packers medical staff for their immediate on-field response and care in transporting Isaiah,” the club said Sunday morning.
The Patriots were scheduled to fly to Tennessee on Sunday, where they were scheduled to hold two practices with the Tennessee Titans on Friday leading up to the preseason finale. Practices for Saturday’s game were canceled by the Patriots “due to the circumstances surrounding the sudden and unexpected decision.”
The Patriots now plan to practice at their team headquarters in Foxborough, Massachusetts, then travel to Tennessee for a game later in the week.
“We’re all praying for Isaiah,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Saturday night. “Appreciate the way the league handled it. I think that’s the right thing to do.”
With 10:29 remaining in the fourth quarter, referee John Hussey announced to the crowd at Lambeau Field, “By agreement of both the head coaches and team management, we have decided to suspend the game for the evening. The game is officially over.”
Belichick put the injury into perspective, adding: “We’re all very fortunate.”
Packers coach Matt LaFleur called it “a very scary decision for the game” and said he agreed with the decision to call it.
The Patriots, who practiced with the Packers on Wednesday and Thursday, led 21-17 at the time.
Bolton was covering a slant pass infield and collided with teammate Calvin Munson. He stayed on the ground, and as medical personnel arrived, the entire Patriots team eventually gathered on the field and knelt nearby. Patriots long-time captain Matthew Slater prayed for the players. Slater was later seen talking to Belichick and LaFleur on the field.
Packers rookie receiver Malik Heath, who caught the pass on the play, said he didn’t realize what had happened until after the play. He realized the injured player was Bolton, whom he knew from their college days. Heath is from Jackson, Mississippi, the same town where Bolton went to college at Jackson State.
“I know him so I don’t want to finish [the game],” Heath said. “I felt bad, too. We better not end it. It was scary. It might have happened to me in victory.”
