Raheem Morris: Dan Campbell and I agreed to run out the clock after Morice Norris injury

After Lions safety Morice Norris was taken off the field in an ambulance early in the fourth quarter of Friday’s preseason game in Atlanta, Falcons coach Raheem Morris spoke with Lions coach Dan Campbell, and they both agreed to stop playing.

Morris said after the game that he and Campbell talked on the field in the aftermath of Norris’s injury and felt that out of respect for Norris and his family, it would be best not to play anymore. So the Falcons took one snap with 14:31 remaining in the fourth quarter and all the players on the field just stood together and let the clock run out.

“Just Dan and myself, respect for his family, Morice Norris, it was that simple,” Morris said. “There’s not a lot of times that happens. I can’t sit here and tell you I’ve been through a lot of those or seen a lot of those. I don’t think any of us have. That was the moment decision and it was the right thing to do for our football team and the Lions’ football team with what happened tonight.”

Morris said he doesn’t know and gave no consideration to whether the league office would approve of two teams agreeing between themselves to effectively cut a game short by a quarter.

“I don’t know. That wasn’t in my thought right now,” Morris said. “The thought process for both of us was about Morice Norris and his family. That’s what it’s all about.”

In a preseason game, it’s hard to imagine the league office disagreeing with the decision that Campbell and Morris made. Players were shaken by how serious the injury to Norris looked, and weren’t prepared to keep going.

The Lions offered some good news after the game, announcing that Norris is stable and has movement in all his extremities.

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