Scary, somber scene: Dolphins’ Grant DuBose hospitalized after Calen Bullock hit. Medical outlook: ‘Positive feedback’

HOUSTON – In a scary and somber scene, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Grant DuBose was carted off the field on a stretcher while wearing a neck brace after being down on the ground for roughly a dozen minutes, immobile, with his jersey cut off and facemask removed by medical personnel.

DuBose took a hard hit from Texans rookie safety Calen Bullock on a pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa that left his intended target in a vulnerable position. Bullock was flagged for helmet-to-helmet contact on a defenseless receiver.

His facemask was unscrewed from his helmet, and DuBose was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation and is in stable condition, per the Dolphins. He will remain overnight for observation.

“There’s positive feedback with head and neck imaging,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said after the game.

Bullock expressed concern for DuBose and emphasized he had no intent to harm him.

“My intentions was never to go out and hurt nobody, that’s never any of our intentions,” Bullock said after the game inside the Texans’ locker room. “So, prayers out to him and his family. I hope he’s good. I was just seeing the ball and I was breaking on the ball and it just happened to be one of those type of plays.”

When asked if he’s concerned about a suspension in the wake of teammate Azeez Al-Shaair being suspended for three games for his controversial, concussion-causing hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Bullock said he’s not.

“No, not really,” Bullock said. “My intention was never to go out there and just try to completely take someone out of the game and hurt somebody.”

As a defensive player, they’re taught to defend every blade of grass. In this instance and several others, the plays unfold fast and avoiding any contact with the helmet and neck area is an extremely difficult undertaking.

“It’s very difficult for a defensive player because we trying to think about protecting them, but we also want to protect ourselves,” Bullock said. “They can hit us wrong. It’s angles, you think too much trying to protect everyone on the field, but sometimes it doesn’t happen like that. At the end of the day, it’s still a violent game.”

Getting back into a football mode after a lengthy stoppage of play was another matter for Bullock and his teammates.

“I had to lock back in,” Bullock said. “I said my prayers for him, but, at the end of the day, I still have a game to go out there and play and deal with it after the game.”

DuBose was down on the field for a long time as his teammates were visibly emotional while they prayed for him.

“I heard some good news that he’s doing well and recovering,” Tagovailoa said. “We all know I’ve gone through something very similar and that’s no fun. You never want to be put in those situations. But it’s a physical sport, contact sport. I think what I could have done to not put Grant in that situation.”

When Bullock was informed that DuBose is in stable condition, Bullock was glad to hear the positive update.

“That’s a good start right there,” he said. “I’m happy for him. I was praying he would be okay. I wasn’t trying to hurt nobody.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com