Packers WR Malachi Dupre being evaluated after taking vicious hit
GREEN BAY - Green Bay Packers wide receiver Malachi Dupre had feeling and movement in all of his extremities after leaving Thursday’s game against Philadelphia on a stretcher in the fourth quarter.
Dupre, a rookie seventh-round pick from Louisiana State, absorbed a vicious hit from Eagles safety Tre Sullivan after catching a short pass on the right side of the field. Dupre was leveled as he turned upfield when Sullivan’s helmet appeared to strike his chin and facemask. He lay motionless on his back for several minutes as the medical staff attended to him.
The Packers announced that Dupre had been taken to a local hospital for further evaluation.
"So far," coach Mike McCarthy said, "all the information coming back from the testing is positive, but he's still in the hospital and going through a series of tests.
"Nerve-wracking. There were moments there of high concern. You don't want to see any of your players go through that. Just on the reaction of the players on the play, you know it potentially may be a bad situation. I thought our medical staff was phenomenal. I thought they were right on point. He did a good job of communicating what happened once he was able to settle down. That was a very scary moment."
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Players on both teams dropped to a knee as the stretcher was brought onto the field. Nearly a dozen members of the medical staff swarmed Dupre at the 14-yard line, and McCarthy watched from a few feet away.
The crowd cheered as Dupre was lifted onto the stretcher. He gave a quick thumbs up as he was being wheeled off the field. He made two catches for 16 yards and lost one fumble.
“Man, I just hope he’s all right,” cornerback LaDarius Gunter said. “I just hope his family is calm right now. I hope that he’s all right.”
Added wide receiver Max McCaffrey: "Oh man, that was upsetting. I was over there looking at him and I just hope he’s doing better. I hope he’s all right. I don’t know what happened. Prayers for him.”
The Packers suffered a slew of injuries in addition to the scary situation surrounding Dupre. Center Don Barclay (ankle), safety Kentrell Brice (finger), cornerback Damarius Randall (concussion) and cornerback Raysean Pringle (evaluated for a concussion) all dropped out of Thursday’s game.
Brice, who left the game in the second quarter, said he is uncertain what happened to his finger but noticed it pointing at a strange angle. He popped the finger back in and underwent X-rays.