Carolina Panthers offensive lineman taken to hospital after lying motionless for minutes
A Carolina Panthers offensive lineman was transported to the hospital after a scary moment materialized in the first quarter of the team’s contest against the Detroit Lions.
Chandler Zavala, a rookie out of N.C. State who started Sunday at left guard, fell to the ground on a first-quarter run at Ford Field. He then laid face-down and motionless for minutes; about a dozen members of the Panthers’ medical staff rushed onto the field to his aide almost immediately.
The staff got the fourth-round pick in the 2023 draft on his back before lifting him onto a stretcher. He was then carted off the field and lifted his left arm to offer a thumbs up to the worried crowd.
According to a Panthers spokesman, Zavala sustained a neck injury, is alert and had movement in all of his extremities. After undergoing evaluations at a Detroit hospital, the team confirmed he was returning to Charlotte on the Panthers’ flight.
Head coach Frank Reich discussed Zavala’s status after the game.
“It was scary,” Reich said after the team’s 42-24 loss in Detroit on Sunday. “You got out there, and it didn’t look like he was moving a lot. A minute or so into it, I saw him move his arm, so I was hopeful there, and the medical team did a good job to play it safe. But thankfully everything looks good.”
Reich added: “It’s hard. Sometimes you think the worst, but you really need to think the best. And I think guys have been around the league long enough to know that the medical teams do a great job; they’re always going to be overly cautious and protect for worst-case scenarios. So your heart goes out, you don’t want it to be anything severe, but you also understand that we got the right medical people in attendance, and they’re going to do a great job, and a very high percentage of the time, everything is fine.”
Cade Mays replaced Zavala at left guard, lining up right next to Zavala’s college teammate Ickey Ekwonu. The injury occurred in the middle of the Panthers’ first touchdown drive of the day — a 14-play, 75-yard drive that took up 7:05 minutes of game time and nearly 20 minutes of real time.
This story was originally published October 8, 2023 at 2:03 PM.
