Announcers react to unprecedented running clock in wake of Morice Norris’ injury

Justin Kutcher told his audience that they’re always taught, as broadcasters, to never assume the worst when it comes to injuries. But after Morice Norris lay motionless on the ground and left the field in an ambulance, it was hard to follow the advice of the Falcons’ preseason play-by-play voice.

In a scene unprecedented since Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field, the Lions and Falcons had eight minutes of running clock, with both teams agreeing that the game could no longer be played.

Emory Jones snapped the ball, but the Falcons never ran a play. Instead, both teams were determined to let the clock run out or force the NFL’s hand. New York didn’t call down to tell the officials that the game had been suspended until just over six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. By that time, Dan Campbell, Raheem Morris, and every single player on the field had made up their mind.

“At this point, per New York, this game is suspended.” #NFL https://t.co/l806VGgWMg pic.twitter.com/pZ1ZhfTR1j

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 9, 2025

But the NFL hadn’t.

And while waiting for someone to step in and take action, both local broadcasts were tasked with guiding viewers through the confusing scene. The broadcast went to commercial multiple times as the undrafted free agent out of Fresno State was tended to by the medical staff, and eventually placed into an ambulance.

But once the clock started and play was supposed to resume, nobody could make sense of what was unfolding.

“They’re going to take a moment in the situation and let the clock run,” said Lions preseason play-by-play voice Jason Benetti.

“I’m not sure exactly what is happening,” Kutcher added. “We’re getting reports that there might be a clock issue at the moment. What was a really good game, exciting, fun, has turned on its side right now. And Shawn Hochuli, he’s not doing anything. And could this be them just letting the clock run out, but I don’t think you would do that, would you? Wouldn’t you just call the game if that were the case?”

Kutcher’s confusion matched what everyone was feeling in that moment. As he shared his thoughts from the booth, so did T.J. Lang. The former NFL offensive lineman and current Lions preseason analyst tried to shed some light on what was going through the players’ minds out on the field.

“You can’t play this game without thinking about Morice Norris,” said Lang. “It’s just not possible. It sounds very weird and awkward and rude to maybe say you have to find a way to go out there and still compete… It’s just terrible. It’s so hard to see something and just try to convince yourself, it’s not going to be me next time. It’s not going to happen to another player.

Preseason games matter. Maybe not to the casual fan, but they matter to some degree. They’re the difference between making a roster and getting cut. In the grand scheme, these games can make or break a player’s career. But that reality quickly evaporated once the humanity of the moment took over.

“We feel sick,” Lang added. “I can’t imagine there’s not a person on that sideline that doesn’t have a pit in your stomach.”

For a few moments, everything just stood still. No one knew what was coming next. And just as Joe Buck once did for Damar Hamlin, Jason Benetti was tasked with guiding the local Detroit audience, worried about one of their own, through an impossible situation.

“It’s one of the beautiful reminders of how we’re all connected in life,” Benetti said, as the Falcons and Lions gathered in a circle at midfield. “How everything that everybody does matters to each other person, no matter what color you’re wearing, no matter what helmet you’re wearing, no matter what belief you have, somebody is down and hurt. You don’t know about them. You take care of your heart and their heart and everybody’s heart in the building and beyond. And the Lions and Falcons have given everybody a lesson tonight in humanity.”

The NFL included.

For the next minute and a half, Benetti and Lang were silent.

Dannie Rogers, Detroit’s preseason sideline reporter, tried to fill the quiet with what she saw.

“A lot of these coaches and players, you can tell, they just want to get off this field and go home, and probably get an update on their teammate,” she said.

The game had officially lost all of its meaning. Not that it had much to begin with — at least in the eyes of those watching at home — but for those tuned in, the importance was no longer about watching third and fourth stringers trying to make a 53-man roster. It was about the health and well-being of a 24-year-old kid.

An emotional Dan Campbell meets with the media after the Lions-Falcons game was suspended due to Lions safety Morice Norris being taken off the field in an ambulance.

Campbell notes that Norris is breathing, talking, and had some movement. #NFL pic.twitter.com/hnKGyibCId

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 9, 2025

“It’s a powerful message if that’s what’s going on,” said D.J. Shockley. “Putting things into perspective in this day and age, when health and safety have become such a hot topic and a point of emphasis. We have seen, yes, rules changing. We’ve seen protocols put in place to make the games safer. We’ve seen equipment evolving to be safer.

“But we have also seen this evolution of a mindset of a football player. They’re no longer of the day where it’s ‘Hey, rub some dirt on it. Get back out there. Next snap.’ These are human beings who are fully aware of the dangers of this game, and you can see the character of these men out here tonight and how they responded to this injury.”