Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Russell Gage was carted off Monday night’s NFC wild-card game against the Dallas Cowboys on a stretcher following an injury he sustained late in the fourth quarter.
Gage was hurt when he fell while trying to catch a pass from quarterback Tom Brady. While having his body awkwardly contorted after falling, Gage took a hard hit from Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson.
The team released a statement Tuesday morning following its 31-14 loss.
“After suffering a neck injury and concussion during the fourth quarter of last night’s game, Russell was taken to a local hospital where he remained overnight for additional testing and observation,” the team said. “Russell has had movement in all extremities and will continue to undergo additional testing today. We will provide additional information as it becomes available.”
Russell Gage Jr injury on the field as Tom Brady looks on, hope he’s alright pic.twitter.com/by8C6uGE2T
— Ted Buddwell 🏀🏈 (@TedBuddy8) January 17, 2023
The incident comes just two weeks after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field and went into cardiac arrest.
“It was really tough — especially with what happened a couple weeks ago,” said Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David. “Russ is a great dude off the field and a great guy on the field. We definitely hope he’s well. He was moving and stuff like that; that was a good sign. Definitely hope he’s OK.”
ESPN noted that Bucs tight end Cam Brate, who sustained a neck injury early in the season, was also taken off the field on a stretcher in week six.
“You hate to see a guy go down like that, especially with the game being kind of out of reach at that point,” Brate said. “It’s really hard to see your teammate like that. We’re all thinking about Russ and hope he’s doing well. Yeah, it’s tough.”
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