Bills RB Damien Harris taken off field in ambulance after scary injury

Former Alabama running back Damien Harris suffered a hard hit on a run up the middle late in the second quarter of a game against the New York Giants and had to be carted off the field.

Harris lay motionless on the turf for several moments before medical personnel quickly came out to tend to him.

He was placed on a backboard and loaded into an ambulance to be taken away from the field for further evaluation. As he was loaded onto the backboard and before he was driven off, Harris gave a thumbs up with his left hand to the crowd.

“We have gotten word from the Bills on running back Damien Harris, who was taken off the field in the ambulance,” NBC sideline reporter Melissa Stark said. “It is a neck injury. He does have movement in his arms and his legs and he is being driven right now to the hospital for further testing.”

The ambulance that Harris was taken off in had tributes to Damar Hamlin painted on the back windows, with the No. 3 prominently adorned. Hamlin was seriously injured in a game on Jan. 2, a scary incident that rocked the NFL.

Damien Harris’ injury occurred on his first carry of the game, a play that went for just one yard.

The run in question came on third-and-inches, with Harris trying to convert in short yardage. He carried the ball behind the right side of the offensive line before running square into Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke.

Immediately upon impact, Harris fell to the turf amid a pile of bodies, but he did not get up when everyone else did.

Harris is in his first season in Buffalo after having spent the previous four seasons in New England. He had logged just five carries for 22 yards and a touchdown this season, while also catching two passes for 16 yards. He’s been used primarily as a short-yardage option.

In total in his career, Harris has run for 2,187 yards and 21 touchdowns, while catching 53 passes for 297 yards.

He is a former third-round NFL Draft pick by the New England Patriots, coming into the league in 2019.

Harris earned his way into the NFL after a very productive career at Alabama. He was a two-time national champion and earned second-team All-SEC honors during the 2018 season.

The talented back ran for 3,070 yards and 23 touchdowns while with the Crimson Tide, while also catching 52 passes for 407 yards and two touchdowns.