NAPA – Raiders running back Mike Goodson left a hospital and returned to training camp headquarters Tuesday night after he was injured in a collision during practice earlier in the day.
Goodson was taken away by ambulance after an on-field collision with linebacker Philip Wheeler. The Raiders said in a statement that a CT scan and MRI came back negative, and that Goodson, who came from Carolina in an offseason trade, went back to the team hotel.
As he attempted to catch a pass from quarterback Carson Palmer during a drill, Goodson was leveled by Wheeler with what appeared to be a helmet-to-helmet hit that could be heard at the opposite end of the field.
Goodson lay prone on the turf for about 15 minutes as teammates and trainers rushed over. Paramedics and firefighters arrived shortly thereafter, and Goodson appeared to move his legs and arms.
Practice continued while workers removed Goodson's face mask but left the rest of his helmet intact. He was strapped to a backboard before being loaded into an ambulance.
"He did have feeling in his extremities, which is obviously good news," coach Dennis Allen said after practice. "I did not see it cleanly, so I don't really know exactly what happened on the play. I heard it more than I saw it."
Wheeler, projected as a starting outside linebacker, was visibly shaken and was still upset when talking to reporters after practice.
"I texted him already and told him that I'm praying for him, that I'm sorry and I didn't mean to do it," Wheeler said. "I thought he was going to get up. I didn't think he was that bad off until he said … that he couldn't get up. That's when I knew he was pretty bad.
"It was just a bang-bang play. I'm just going to pray for him. I didn't mean to do it. I didn't mean to hurt him."
Several players, including injured running back Taiwan Jones and wide receiver Denarius Moore, kneeled beside Goodson before emergency personnel arrived.
"When you're down there and you're hearing the ambulance coming, you could start to panic and think the worst," said Jones, who is competing with Goodson for a backup spot. "I just tried to stay by his side and reassure him that everything's going to be fine."
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