Eagles Player Avonte Maddox Suffers Brutal Head Hit, Team Swarms Field as He's Stretched Off

Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Avonte Maddox was surrounded by his teammates when he was taken off [...]

By Allison Schonter

Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Avonte Maddox was surrounded by his teammates when he was taken off of Lambeau Field Thursday night following a hit to the head from teammate Andrew Sendejo in the fourth quarter. The incident marked the second time that night that a player was carried off of the field, with Packers running back Jamaal Williams being carted off in the first half.

According to Deadspin, Maddox had been covering Green Bay Packers receiver Robert Tonyan when he sustained the injury. Tonyan caught a pass from quarterback Aaron Rogers, and as Sendejo attempted to tackle him, he hit Maddox instead, who then "pinwheeled to the turf." The outlet reports that Maddox "was down on the field for a very long time."

As he was being tended to, the cornerback's teammates gathered on the field, where they remained as he was put on a stretcher and carried off as a precautionary measure.

"I was cracking jokes just to make him laugh," safety Malcolm Jenkins told ESPN. "He laughed – a lot, actually.

"It's a scary thing when it's one of your teammates – especially somebody young like him, who's been playing really well for us. He was good. He was moving around, so that was a good sign," Jenkins added.

After football fans saw the incident play out on screen and in person, many took to social media to send their well wishes.

"Hoping he's ok," one person wrote.

"Prayers to him," added a second.

"So sad," commented another.

Although the extent of Maddox's injuries had initially been unclear, the Eagles later informed fans via tweet that the player "has movement in all extremities. For precautionary reasons he has been sent to the hospital for further evaluation."

In his absence, Craig James took the field, making a pass deflection that allowed a Nigel Bradham interception.

"We pretty much just clicked into the mentality of, 'We've got to win it for him. That was a critical loss for us, a guy that plays multiple positions," Bradham said. "We were playing for him. He took a critical hit on that play, and hopefully everything turns out all right for him."

The Eagles won 34-27.

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