Dolphins, Jaguars game called off after receiver Davis carted off
Aug 26, 2023, 9:40 PM | Updated: 9:40 pm
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Daewood Davis is carted off the field during the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
(AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins wide receiver Daewood Davis was carted off the field in an immobilized position after a collision in the fourth quarter of a preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night.
Davis was taken to a hospital for evaluation, the Dolphins announced, adding that he was conscious and had movement in all his extremities.
Davis ran a slant route and was trying to catch a pass from James Blackman when he took a hard hit from Jacksonvile’s Dequan Jackson, who was flagged for unnecessary roughness. The entire Miami bench emptied, and Jaguars players also came onto the field as Davis laid face-down on the turf for several minutes.
“For Daewood, I don’t think he woke up this morning understanding that there are repercussions playing this sport, that this was going to happen,” said Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered two high-profile concussions last season. “I don’t think anyone wakes up thinking things like that are going to happen.”
After he was carted off, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel and Jaguars coach Doug Pederson spoke on the field and agreed to stop the game with 8:32 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Jaguars leading 31-18.
“I think it would have been extremely hard for the guys to have gone out and continued to play. The kind of person that Daewood is, a lot of guys respect him,” Tagovailoa said. “He’s very well respected in the locker room. He’s a great player. He’s a great teammate. He’s a great person. It just would have been hard to have gone back out after seeing something like that.”
Said McDaniel: “The two teams agreed that football shouldn’t be played anymore tonight. Without a shadow of a doubt it was the right call.”
Last week, New England’s preseason game at Green Bay was called off in the fourth quarter after Patriots cornerback Isaiah Bolden collided with a teammate and was carted off the field. Bolden was taken to a hospital and released the next day.
