UPDATE; 11:45 p.m.:Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano said tight end Brandon Williams has been released from the hospital and was back in the locker room under the care of team medical officials after suffering a concussion and being carted off on a stretcher during Thursday's game against the Denver Broncos.
"It was a pretty scary thing ... but he's back here," Pagano said after the Colts' 25-13 loss to the Broncos. "He's doing well."Pagano confirmed that Williams had been diagnosed with a head injury, and doctors did not preliminarily believe he had suffered an injury to his neck or spine.UPDATE; 10:05 p.m.: An update on Williams from the Colts:
Original story:INDIANAPOLIS —Indianapolis Colts tight end Brandon Williams had to be carted off on a stretcher and taken to a local hospital after suffering a head injury in the second quarter of tonight's game against the Denver Broncos at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Williams was injured on a Colts' punt play with 14:11 left in the first half of tonight's primetime matchup. After being evaluated and treated on the field by team medical personnel for about 15 minutes, Williams — who was visibly able to move his fingers — was loaded up on a stretcher and taken off the field on a cart, but not before being swarmed by his teammates and receiving an ovation from the home crowd.
The Colts announced that Williams has movement in his limbs and was not believed to have suffered an injury to his neck. He was placed on the cart and strapped down for precautionary measures.
A five-year NFL veteran in his first year with the Colts, Williams entered the NFL in 2013 as an undrafted free agent. His football career was briefly put on hold at the University of Oregon after doctors believed he had a chronic spinal condition.
But after receiving a diagnosis of spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal column, Williams was eventually able to gain clearance to pursue his NFL dreams, according to a profile in The Oregonian.
Check back with Colts.com for more on this developing story.
