Darren Sproles Injured, Leaves Game After Huge, Dirty Hit (Video)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sproles was forced to leave the game after taking a big, dirty hit from Washington Redskins safety Deshazor Everett

For whatever reason, NFL Week 14 felt like a Sunday where injuries were abound. More than that, though, it also felt like a day in which there were an inordinate amount of hits that could be construed as dirty. Perhaps it’s this point in the season or maybe the divisional rivalries throughout the slate. Whatever it was, though, it certainly bled into the matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins, to the scary detriment of Darren Sproles.

In the second half of a close game between the NFC East rivals, Cousins seemed to be having a hard time following a bad interception. He was stifled easily on the next drive, thus leaving the Redskins punting to the Eagles. They put the veteran Sproles back to field the punt and try to make a play. That’s when things got ugly.

Before the ball ever got to Sproles, Washington safety Deshazor Everett came flying down the field. And though the Eagles running back and returner didn’t yet have the ball, that didn’t stop Everett from running full speed and launching himself at Sproles—absolutely leveling him:

Sproles was down on the field for quite a while following the hit as you’d expect. He finally got up and came off, but it was clear that he was not right.

While we hope Sproles is okay, the real question is how Everett wasn’t ejected on this hit. They assessed a 15-yard penalty, but a play like this warrants a stiffer consequence than that. This is what the NFL should be looking to prevent and, since it happened, they have to come down harder on it. Simply put, this type of play can’t continue to happen.

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