Carolina Panthers lineman Chandler Zavala suffered a neck injury during Sunday’s NFL matchup between the Carolina Panthers and the Detroit Lions.
While blocking for a run play at Ford Field, Zavala suddenly collapsed during the first quarter of the game, causing immediate concern among the players and fans, per the Panthers. Zavala reportedly went down without any obvious head impact. Both teams gathered around him as medical staff rushed to render aid. Zavala was seen raising his thumb in the air as he was carted off the field; however, it was later confirmed he had sustained a neck injury.
Following the incident — a brief delay of seven minutes — the game resumed. Despite their efforts, the Lions ultimately emerged victorious with a final score of 42-24, per the Detroit Free Press. (RELATED: NFL Player Tarik Cohen Suffers Serious Achilles Injury While Working Out In Viral Video)
Chandler Zavala injury video. pic.twitter.com/9HUPLKnrs7
— Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) October 8, 2023
As Zavala underwent evaluation and treatment at a Detroit hospital, the NFL community and fans across the league sent well wishes for a swift and full recovery to the player. Zavala was eventually released and went home with his team, the Panthers posted on X.
“That’s the scary part of what we do,” center Bradley Bozeman said in a statement published through the Panthers. “When a guy like Chandler goes down, and he’s sitting there, they’re taking the facemask off and getting the cart out, it’s scary. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to move on; you’ve got to log back in.
“He was like, ‘Hey, go get this,’ so we knew he was good,” Bozeman added. “But just trying to keep fighting and trying to just lock back into the moment. It’s always a feeling of relief whenever they say something back, or they give the thumbs up or whatever it is. He did that, and you know, he was letting us know that he was cool.”