Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell delivered an emotional tribute to star player Aidan Hutchinson after he suffered a horrific leg injury on Sunday.
Defensive end Hutchinson was carted off during the third quarter of Detroit’s game against the Dallas Cowboys with a serious injury to his left tibia.
Hutchinson will be staying in the Dallas area for surgery, Lions coach Campbell said after Sunday’s 47-9 win over the Cowboys.
Hutchinson’s leg appeared to snap above the ankle when it collided with the left leg of teammate Alim McNeill as Hutchinson was pulling Dak Prescott down in the third quarter.
The Lions were leading 34-6 at the time of the injury to Hutchinson, who entered the game as the NFL leader in sacks with 6.5.
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell delivered an emotional tribute to Aidan Hutchinson
Hutchinson was carted off against the Dallas Cowboys with a serious injury to his left tibia
Speaking about his player after the game, Campbell said: ‘That’s tough. You know, it was tough. And he’s in good hands right now, he’s being taken care of.
‘He’ll stay back here (in Dallas). You know, obviously he’s going to be down for a while. So that’s tough, man.
‘It’s hard when you lose somebody like him. But we’ll know a lot more after this and obviously wish him the best.
‘It’s hard for everybody when you’re standing there and that’s one of yours and something like that happens.
‘If you dwell on that too much and you start playing a little timid, that’s when you get hurt. So guys snapped right back in and they lived in the moment where we’re on.’
There was a delay of about 10 minutes as medical personnel tended to Hutchinson while players from both teams made a large circle around the second overall pick in the 2022 draft.
After Hutchinson was loaded onto a cart with a cast on his leg, teammates and Dallas players reached over to pat the 24-year-old.
Hutchinson’s leg appeared to snap when it collided with the left leg of teammate Alim McNeill
Players from both teams made a large circle around the second overall pick in the 2022 draft
Hutchinson had the third Detroit sack of the game. McNeill had the first two.
‘I haven’t seen it myself so I couldn’t really tell,’ McNeill said.
‘I didn’t know if it was him or not, but I did feel somebody like leg-whip me, and then I see Hutch down. That’s wild to see. I hate that for him.’
Prescott, who landed on top of Hutchinson’s left leg after the injury occurred, sustained a similar injury to his right leg on the same field in Week 5 in 2020, ending his season.
Dallas’ star quarterback was among the players who tried to offer Hutchinson words of encouragement as he was taken off the field.
‘It’s just something that I felt in the moment,’ Prescott said.
‘I’ll probably get his number from one of the Michigan guys in the locker room and reach out again.
‘When you’re in that, it’s blurry. So I don’t even know if he heard them. Don’t care if he heard them. I understand where he was.’
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