The 49ers ended practice early today after undrafted rookie linebacker Donavin Newsom was taken from the field in an ambulance about 12 minutes after colliding with safety Chanceller James.
Newsom was motionless on the field before he was strapped to a stretcher in full uniform, expect for his facemask, which was removed from his helmet.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said the belief is Newsom sustained a neck injury, but his eyes were open and he had “feeling in his lower half and his hands” before leaving. Newsom missed practice Friday and Saturday with a neck injury before he returned to practice Monday following an off day.
“I think it will be all right,” Shanahan said. “But you never know.”
Newsom was injured when he collided with James as they were defending a pass over the middle to tight end Blake Bell during a two-minute drill.
As Newsom lay motionless, his teammates took a knee, with some bowing their head in prayer, as medical staff attended to him. The music that blares during practice was quickly turned off and the scene was marked by an eerie silence.
After the ambulance left, a group of teammates that included wide receiver Marquise Goodwin remained on a knee in prayer.
“It put things in perspective when you see that happen,” Shanahan said. “It’s scary when you see a guy down on the field that long. … There was a lot of stuff I was planning to say about practice. And when that happens, it puts things in perspective for everyone. You just try to end it.”
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