Isaiah Bolden, from the Patriots, to spend night in hospital for further observation

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The preseason game between the Patriots and Packers was suspended early in the fourth quarter when rookie cornerback Isaiah Bolden of the Patriots suffered a hit from a teammate, leaving him immobilized and requiring him to be stretchered off the field.

Although Bolden had “feeling in all his extremities,” he was taken to a local hospital in Green Bay for overnight observation. The Patriots will provide an update on his condition by 9 a.m. ET on Sunday.

“We’re all saying a prayer for Isaiah,” expressed Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who appreciated the league’s handling of the situation. “I think that was the right thing to do.”

With 10:29 remaining in the fourth quarter, referee John Hussey informed the crowd at Lambeau Field that the game was being suspended, as both head coaches and team leadership came to an agreement. The game was officially over.

Belichick acknowledged that the injury put things into perspective, emphasizing the team’s gratitude for their own safety. Packers coach Matt LaFleur echoed this sentiment, describing the ending as “very scary” and supporting the decision to suspend play.

At the time of the suspension, the Patriots were leading 21-17.

The incident occurred when Bolden collided with teammate Calvin Munson while covering a slant pass. The Patriots team gathered on the field, kneeling nearby as medical professionals attended to Bolden.

Packers rookie receiver Malik Heath, who caught the pass on the play, expressed his shock upon realizing that Bolden, someone he knew from college, was the injured player. Heath and Bolden hail from the same town in Mississippi.

“I know him, so I didn’t want to finish [the game],” shared Heath. “It was a good thing we didn’t finish it. It was scary, too. That could’ve happened to me on the hit.”

Patriots captain Matthew Slater led players in a prayer, and he was later seen speaking with Belichick and LaFleur on the field.

Patriots players noted that the scene reminded them of a similar incident involving Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills during “Monday Night Football” last season, which resulted in cardiac arrest.

“Our primary concern is Isaiah, his well-being, and our whole team is praying for him,” said Slater. “Just hoping that things aren’t as serious as they seem.”

Bolden, a 23-year-old rookie drafted from Jackson State, was the only player selected from a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) this year. He led the nation in kickoff return average in 2021 and tied for the lead in kickoff return touchdowns.

“He’s been a joy to be around,” Slater said of Bolden. “He’s a young man with a lot of talent, always has a smile on his face, is always positive, is always bringing great energy and effort to practice. … All the guys love him. He’s fit into our locker room seamlessly.”

The game took place after two days of joint practices in Green Bay, which were characterized by several skirmishes. Patriots linebacker Anfernee Jennings and Packers linebacker Keshawn Banks were ejected from one of the practices. Some tensions carried over to the pregame warmups, resulting in players needing to be separated.

“It was a pretty chippy week all in all,” commented LaFleur. “It kind of got escalated in the pregame a little bit. Just wanted to make sure there wasn’t going to be any problems postgame. The respect that we have for each other, let’s get out of here and go home. … I thought it was in the best interests for both teams. Coach Belichick and I talked on the field to take the action that we took. There’s a lot of good work that we’ve had over the last couple days, but it’s hard to think about much of that. Just hope that young man’s going to be OK.”