Getty Saivion Smith on the field for a 2022 game against Indianapolis.
One of the scariest moments of the last few decades for the Detroit Lions played out on the field in Week 5 when Saivion Smith went down with injury.
Smith laid motionless on the field, and an ambulance had to be summoned to take him off. It was a terrifying feeling for both teams, but particularly the Lions to watch their brother go down.
In the aftermath, though, there is some good news to report on Smith’s condition. Speaking after the game, Dan Campbell updated folks on Smith, and said he had motion and was hoping to fly back to Detroit with the team. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press had the update.
Dan Campbell said Saivion Smith has full motor skills, hoping to fly home on the team plane
“Dan Campbell said Saivion Smith has full motor skills, hoping to fly home on the team plane,” Birkett tweeted.
Obviously, this is fantastic news for Smith and the Lions given where the young defender was after the unfortunate collision earlier in the day. There was likely a major worry for Smith’s long-term health in the moment, so hearing that Smith can move and perhaps did come back with the team is fantastic.
Hopefully, this is the beginning of a solid recovery for Smith in the weeks ahead.
Watch How Smith’s Injury Happened
Smith was inserted into the Week 5 starting lineup to try and provide a boost on defense. Sadly, it took just a few plays for Smith to fall victim to injury himself, and the ailment was scary looking.
Smith appeared to bump into New England tight end Hunter Henry during play. After the collision, Smith went down and didn’t get up. Dov Kleiman showed a close-up of the play in question:
Here’s what happened to Smith earlier.
Eventually, the ambulance had to come out for Smith, who was put on a backboard and loaded in. Members of his family joined him on the ride, and the game was delayed for a few minutes as the situation played out.
At this point, folks simply have to hope Smith is alright and can get back to health. It’s never a good sight to see a player go down and need an ambulance to carry them off, and arguably, this is the scariest Lions injury to play out since linebacker Reggie Brown went down with a neck injury in 1997.
Lions Revealed Specifics of Smith’s Injury
Naturally, everyone’s concern turned to what was really happening with Smith. There was plenty of speculation about what the injury could be on the internet, but few things actually known.
After Smith was rolled off, an update was provided by the Lions. Smith was taken to the hospital for observation and being evaluated for a neck injury. Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com provided the update.
Saivion Smith is being taken to a local hospital to be evaluated for a neck injury.
“Saivion Smith is being taken to a local hospital to be evaluated for a neck injury,” Twentyman tweeted.
As reported on the Fox broadcast, there was some confusion on the Detroit sideline as to how the injury played out in real time, but it became clear as the day went on that Smith was dealing with a neck issue.
No matter what the injury ends up being specifically, it’s good to hear that Smith is doing better.
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Lions Share Update on Health of Saivion Smith After Scary Neck Injury