The New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers had their Week 2 preseason matchup called with 10:29 left on Saturday, when rookie cornerback Isaiah Bolden collapsed after a collision with teammate Calvin Munson.
While Bolden was being tended to, the entire Patriots team took a knee on the field and the Packers followed suit in a show of support.
Bolden was eventually immobilized and carted off, but Bill Belichick and Matt LaFleur agreed to end the exhibition game early.
Prayers for Isaiah Bolden 🙏
— Boston College Football Fans 🦅 (@BCFootballFans) August 20, 2023
Patriots end preseason game early after Bolden went down and remained motionless and was carted off the field. pic.twitter.com/cPtkauXZGp
On the television broadcast, it was said Bolden was moving his feet and his hands following the collision. The Patriots later confirmed that the rookie defensive back "had feeling in all his extremities" but was being "taken to a local hospital for further tests and observation."
The scene was eerily evocative of Damar Hamlin's collapse during Week 17 of the 2022 NFL season when the Bills safety fell motionless after tackling Tee Higgins.
While Bolden's life was never in question as Hamlin's was, it didn't diminish the solemnity of the scene Saturday.
Scary moment. Isaiah Bolden took a hit to the head from Calvin Munson and stayed down on the field. pic.twitter.com/bM1MuAytvV
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) August 20, 2023
Here are the latest updates about Bolden's condition after his scary-looking injury.
Isaiah Bolden injury update
Shortly after Bolden was carted off with an apparent head injury and the game was called, the Patriots provided an update about the rookie's condition. The team released a statement saying that Bolden had feeling in his extremities and was being treated at a local hospital.
Patriots cornerback Isaiah Bolden sustained an injury during the fourth quarter of tonight’s game. He had feeling in all his extremities, but has been taken to a local hospital for further tests and observation.
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 20, 2023
The team later announced that Bolden would be held overnight at that hospital for observation and promised to provide an update on his condition on Sunday morning.
At 8:43 a.m. ET, the Patriots released another statement saying that Bolden had been discharged from the hospital and would travel back to Foxborough with the team.
After undergoing a series of evaluations and being held for overnight observations, Patriots cornerback Isaiah Bolden has been released from the Aurora Bay Medical Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he was transported to after sustaining an on-field injury in the fourth quarter of Saturday night's preseason game between the New England Patriots and the Green Bay Packers. Isaiah will travel with the team today.
We thank the medical staff at Aurora Bay Medical Center for their overnight evaluations, as well as the Patriots and Packers medical staffs for their immediate on-field response and care in transporting Isaiah to a nearby hospital.
New England also announced that its planned joint practices with the Titans, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, had been canceled. The team had originally planned to travel straight from Green Bay to Nashville after Saturday's game.
Less than an hour after the Patriots' statement, Bolden addressed NFL fans with a brief tweet thanking them for their prayers.
Appreciate the prayers more excited to be back with the guys
— I.B (@isaiahbolden23) August 20, 2023
And NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Bolden was back with the team and was in "good spirits" after his injury.
"He woke up with a headache today but he is doing well," Rapoport said.
When was Isaiah Bolden drafted?
Bolden, a 23-year-old cornerback who spent two years at Florida State before transferring to Jackson State, was a seventh-round pick for New England.
He was selected 245th overall to bolster the Patriots secondary.
"I can't even -- it's something I've been dreaming of my whole life," Bolden said on a call on April 29, when he was drafted. "I can't even tell you exactly what the feelings going through me right now. Spending it with my family was a very eventful moment."
Bolden has been fighting for a roster spot in a crowded Patriots secondary. He saw significant snaps Saturday before suffering the injury.
TSN's Jacob Camenker also contributed to this report.