NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A member of the chain crew at a game between Detroit and New Orleans was taken to a hospital with a dislocated knee that occurred when Saints running back Alvin Kamara was tackled into him.
Saints spokesman Doug Miller said Nick Piazza was in stable condition at University Hospital.
The game was delayed in the first half so physicians from both teams could treat Piazza as he lay on the turf along the Detroit sideline.
Piazza’s legs were taken out from under him after Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes pushed Kamara hard over the sideline, causing the running back to lose his footing at the New Orleans 18-yard line. Piazza writhed on the ground with Kamara looking on.
An air cast was placed on Piazza’s leg and he was carted off the field and to an ambulance.
Miller said the team hopes to have further updates on Piazza’s condition Monday.
This was the first time since 2010 that a member of the chain crew was taken from a Saints game at the Superdome. That season, Saints receiver Courtney Roby collided hard with chain crew member Al Nastasi Jr. while Roby was serving as the gunner on punt coverage during a game against the Cleveland Browns.
Nastasi hit his head hard on the turf and was admitted to a neuro intensive care unit. He ultimately recovered and returned to work with the chain crew.
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