The Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots suspended Saturday’s preseason game following a frightening injury.
Patriots cornerback Isaiah Bolden got carted off the field after colliding helmets with teammate Calvin Munson during the fourth quarter. With the NFL’s approval, the two teams mutually agreed to end the game with 10:29 remaining.
During the post-game press conference, LaFleur said his thoughts are with Bolden after a “very scary ending.” He supported Bill Belichick’s suggestion to call the game early.
“That’s a scary situation, one that you never want to see in our game,” LaFleur said, via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman. “I thought it was in the best interests for both teams. Coach [Bill] 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.”
Matt LaFleur’s opening statement on Isaiah Bolden and suspending tonight’s game: pic.twitter.com/l8xa0Xg83S
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 20, 2023
Belichick shared similar sentiments of being far more concerned about Bolden’s health than a preseason game’s outcome.
“The big picture overrode the game,” Belichick said. “We’re all saying a prayer for Isaiah. I appreciate the way the league handled it. I think that was the right thing to do.”
The Patriots said Sunday morning that Bolden was released from a Green Bay hospital and will travel home with the team. They canceled joint practices with the Tennessee Titans scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday and will train in Foxborough instead.
Bolden expressed gratitude for everyone’s well wishes and wrote that he’s “excited to be back with the guys.”