NFL Defensive Coordinator Stretchered Off The Field After Pregame Collision
By Bill Galluccio
December 18, 2022
Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees had to be taken off the field on a stretcher ahead of Sunday's (December 12) game against the New Orleans Saints.
New Orleans Times-Picayune reporter Rod Walker tweeted that a player from the Saints was practicing punt returns when they collided with Pees.
"Saints player (I couldn’t tell who it was) was fielding punts and accidentally ran into someone on Falcons staff. He’s being attended to," Walker wrote.
Medical crews rushed onto the field to check on Pees. They stabilized his neck and then took him off the field on a stretcher. He was taken to University Medical Center New Orleans for testing.
"He was stable, alert, and responsive and has been transported to University Medical Center New Orleans for medical testing," the Falcons said in a statement.
He has since been released from the hospital and will fly home with the team, according to ESPN reporter Ian Rapoport.
The Falcons said that linebackers coach Frank Bush would be the defensive play-caller for the game.
Pees, 73, is the oldest defensive coordinator in the league and is in his second season with the Falcons.