A frightening injury during a preseason NFL game in Atlanta led to a powerful display of on-field prayer and Christian witness. At the beginning of the fourth quarter last Friday (Aug. 8), Detroit Lions cornerback Morice Norris took a hard hit to the head, appeared to seize, and then remained motionless for almost 20 minutes.
After an ambulance transported Norris to a hospital, an NFL referee told the coaches they needed to finish the game. Instead, players from both teams joined hands midfield for prayer. Dan Campbell, head coach of the Lions, and Raheem Morris, head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, both agreed to call the game, with Detroit up 17-10.
RELATED: 11 Christ-Honoring NFL Players To Watch This Football Season
Campbell soon shared that Norris was alert and had some movement, and by Monday the player was back in Detroit. Now in concussion protocol, Norris will sit out about 10 to 14 days and then be reassessed. “We’re going to take it nice and easy,” said Campbell.
Lions Cornerback Morice Norris Reminds People To Praise God
One day after the incident, Morice Norris was back on social media. “Amen Amen,” he wrote on Saturday. “I’m all good man don’t stress it appreciate all the check ins and love.” The athlete included a devotional about giving thanks to God in every circumstance, based on 1 Thessalonians 5:18. The next day, Norris wrote on X, “God is amazing never forget to give him praise.”
Well before his injury, the cornerback had been using his platform to glorify God. Norris, who signed with the Lions as a free agent last year, often posts Christian devotionals to Instagram.
Last Friday, hours before the Lions’ second preseason game, Norris shared a devotional from the organization Living Christian. Titled “Trust Jesus With What’s Ahead,” it emphasized the importance of giving worries to God, trusting him, and walking “forward with peace instead of fear.”
On Monday (Aug. 11), Norris wrote on Instagram:
God is truly amazing, starting this journey I put my complete faith in him walked the path he has already pre-set for me without fear. I will forever be grateful for the trials and obstacles he places in front of me because I know I have nothing to fear. I wanna thank everyone for the prayers and both organizations for how they helped me and my family as well. I’m just a kid who wants to play ball and you all will see me playing again real soon so have no fear God is with me.
Norris, 24, went undrafted after playing college football at Fresno State. Last year, he played in two regular-season games for the Lions.
, Detroit Lions cornerback Morice Norris took a hard hit to the head, appeared to seize, and then remained motionless for almost 20 minutes. The frightening injury led to a powerful display of on-field prayer and Christian witness.){kind=link}