An NFL official who was involved in a collision with New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara suffered a fractured fibula and a dislocated knee and will have surgery, the team announced on Monday.
In the second quarter of the Saints’ game against the Detroit Lions at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday, Kamara was tackled close to the sideline of the field before falling to the ground as a result of the hit.
As he fell, the 28-year-old Kamara collided with the legs of Nick Piazza, an official who was part of the team tasked with moving the chain which measures the distance needed to travel for a first down.
TV cameras showed Piazza clutching at his leg, which looked to have bent into an awkward angle, and shouting in pain before cutting away.
The game stopped for several minutes while Piazza was attended to by medical staff before he was stretched from the field and then taken to hospital. The chain crew operated with one fewer member for the rest of the game.
The Saints said that Piazza had undergone an MRI on Monday and was seen to by an orthopedic doctor. He was found to have suffered a fractured fibula and a dislocated knee but his “blood vessels remain intact” and would have surgery likely next week.
“He appreciates the many well wishes and the continued care he continues to receive,” the Saints said.
