NBC
The Carolina Panthers beat the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night in a must-win game, but the win may have come with an enormous loss for the Panthers as their defensive star, linebacker Luke Kuechly, was carted off the field in tears after he suffered another apparent head injury.
Kuechly missed three games last season because of a concussion. However, this one seems even scarier because it happened on what looked like a normal football play.
The play happened late in the fourth quarter when Kuechly made a tackle. His helmet does make contact with the runner's helmet, however it does not look especially violent. Kuechly is also hit from behind by a teammate, but again, the contact does not seem excessive.
But what was really scary was seeing Kuechly's reaction after the play. There was initially some concern for either his knee or his ankle as he was seen limping on the previous play.
However, cameras caught Kuechly sobbing on the field and seemingly in distress as it became clear that this was not a leg injury.
The best way to describe the scene is that Kuechly looked scared.
He was eventually carted off the field, seemingly in tears.
At times, Kuechly looked absolutely terrified, almost as if he was struggling to breathe.
NBC later announced that Kuechly was being evaluated for a possible concussion.
One of the biggest concerns when it comes to head injuries of this type is the repeated trauma. Kuechly has suffered a serious concussion in the past and one has to wonder if he is now more susceptible to a another incident even under what appeared to be not-especially-violent play.
This is scary stuff.