Cleveland Browns running back D’Onta Foreman avoided a significant injury despite a scary scene at training camp on Thursday, August 1.
Foreman was taken off the field on a stretcher and airlifted to the hospital. During a special teams drill, he was hit with a “direct blow to the head that resulted in neck pain,” per a release from the Browns.
Foreman’s X-rays and CT scans were negative, per ESPN, and he is expected to rejoin the Browns soon. After he was in the clear, Foreman posted a message on social media thanking everyone for their support.
“I wanna say, THANK YOU ALL from the bottom of my heart to everyone who reached out to me and/or prayed for me today,” Foreman wrote. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared/nervous earlier but GOD was with me and those prayers definitely worked. I’m doing good everything came back negative and I’m just tryna get some rest and relax at this point. I’ll be back better than ever in due time.”
Browns running back D’Onta Foreman shares a message via his IG thanking everyone for the thoughts and prayers. pic.twitter.com/pZwVTGHq41
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 2, 2024
Browns Teammates Worried About D’Onta Foreman
There was an outpouring of support for Foreman after the injury. For some, it was hard to move on with the rest of practice with their teammate’s health at the forefront of their minds.
“It’s hard to finish practice when you see something like that,” Browns veteran Joel Bitonio told cleveland.com. “It’s tough. It’s hard to finish games. But hopefully he comes out from it healthy and doing well.”
“It’s truly the worst part about football when you see a teammate go down. You see him get carted off and you hear neck stuff you get a little bit nervous. It’s truly the worst past. He’s in our prayers right now and we’re thinking about him. We’re hearing positive stuff, but they’re going through the precautions right now and just praying for him and it’s tough.”
The Browns players and coaches praised the medical team for springing into action to help Foreman.
“It’s hard,” linebacker Jordan Hicks said. “It’s tough. It’s part of football. It’s probably the worst part of football, but we’ve got a great medical team and praying and hoping for the best.”
D’Onta Foreman Could Play Key Role for Browns
It’s unknown when Foreman will start practicing again. The injury is a blow to a backfield that’s still missing superstar running back Nick Chubb, who is recovering from knee surgery. Pass-caching back Nyheim Hines is also on the mend.
Foreman is expected to fill the role that Kareem Hunt has occupied for the Browns in recent years. He’s a physical runner who can pick up the tough yards when Cleveland needs it.
Foreman has bounced around the last three seasons with three teams but has been productive. Last year, he started eight games with the Chicago Bears. Foreman recorded 425 yards on 109 carries, finding the end zone four times.
His best year came in 2022 with the Carolina Panthers. Foreman ran for 914 yards on 203 carries — a 4.5 yards per carry average — with 5 touchdowns.
With Foreman, Hines and Chubb out, the training camp reps will be split between Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong Jr., John Kelly, and Aidan Robbins.
