ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) Like any other NFL player, Zaire Anderson knew the game’s risks but was skeptical he’d ever be the one not getting up off the field someday.
That changed on New Year’s Day when the Denver Broncos linebacker dived while covering a punt against the Oakland Raiders and smacked his helmet into a teammate’s hip, jamming his neck and getting knocked unconscious .
When he came to, he couldn’t get up.
”It felt like gravity was just holding me down,” Anderson said.
Fear swept over him. His heart raced and tears streamed.
As teammates and opponents knelt in prayer in the hushed stadium, Anderson was strapped to a backboard and gingerly loaded onto a cart.