Patriots-Packers game suspended after rookie stretchered off

Saturday's preseason game between the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers was suspended early in the fourth quarter after Patriots rookie Isaiah Bolden was taken off the field on a stretcher. 

It was an extremely scary scene as he was injured in a collision with a teammate.

The Patriots said that Bolden had feeling in all of his extremities but was still being taken to a local hospital for further tests and observation.

After Bolden was taken off the field and announcement was made that both coaches and teams had agreed to stop the game with 10:29 to play. The Patriots had a 21-17 lead at the time.

Stopping the game had to be an easy decision given the scary nature of Bolden's injury. Anytime a player leaves a game on a stretcher it is going to be a challenge for players to be in the right frame of mind to play a football game and that is true for regular season games. 

It has to be even harder and more difficult in a game that does not even count. The most important thing is Bolden's health and safety.

Bolden was a seventh round pick for the Patriots out of Jackson State. He was the only player in the 2023 NFL Draft class to be taken from a historically black college. He was also a top kick returner in college.

Bolden was covering a slant route over the middle and collided with teammate Calvin Munson.