Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Russell Gage was taken off the field on a stretcher late in the fourth quarter of an NFL wild card playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night.
In a Tuesday update, the Buccaneers said Gage had movement in his extremities after suffering a neck injury and concussion. He will continue to undergo more tests in the hospital after spending the night there.
“I appreciate all of the texts, calls, thoughts and prayers you all have expressed towards my family and I,” Gage wrote on Twitter. “I just wanted to let you all know that I’m doing great and in great spirits! Thank you!”
Gage was injured when he stumbled on a route, went to the ground, couldn’t make the catch, and took a hard shot to the neck from Donovan Wilson. The veteran wide receiver attempted to get up but couldn’t and was quickly surrounded by medical staff.
Players from both teams knelt and prayed while medical personnel attended to Gage. Tom Brady, who threw the pass to Gage, stood near the medical staff before the game resumed.
Gage left the game with two catches for 10 yards.
“Russ is a great dude off the field and a great guy on the field. We definitely hope he’s well. He was moving and stuff like that; that was a good sign,” teammate Lavonte David said after the game.
The Buccaneers ended their season with a 31–14 loss to the Cowboys. Tampa Bay defeated the Cowboys team earlier in the season but couldn’t pull off the second win to go to the playoffs.
Gage’s on-field injury came two weeks after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and collapsed after making a tackle during another prime-time Monday night game. A medical team resuscitated the 24-year-old before an ambulance carried him off the field in critical condition. He was discharged from a Buffalo area hospital last week.
Gage played at LSU before being taken in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.
The 26-year-old signed a three-year deal worth $30 million with the Buccaneers back in March 2022. He finished the 2022 NFL regular season with 426 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
