RENTON — Seattle Seahawks receiver Ricardo Lockette remains in a Dallas-area hospital after undergoing successful neck surgery Monday.
Lockette, who was injured during Seattle’s 13-12 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, had surgery at the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas to stabilize ligament and disc damage in his neck. The damage was sustained after he was knocked unconscious on a hit from Dallas’ Jeff Heath toward the end of the first half.
“It’s serious,” Seattle head coach Pete Carroll said during his press conference Monday afternoon at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center, at which point Lockette was still undergoing surgery. “He’s got ligament issues and disc issues.
“I talked to his dad before surgery and he was in good spirits and all of that,” added Carroll, who described Lockette as comfortable. “We’ll help him get right and turn the corner.”
Later in the evening the team released a statement saying: “Ricardo Lockette underwent successful neck surgery this afternoon at the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. He is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days for recovery. He will be up and moving around as early as tomorrow and his neurological signs are all positive.”
Lockette’s surgery lasted several hours. Carroll said Lockette, who also suffered a concussion on the play, is expected to remain in the hospital for about a week. Teammates Russell Okung and Marshawn Lynch remained behind in Dallas to stay with Lockette while the rest of the team flew home following the game.
The Seahawks will place Lockette on injured reserve and Lockette will not play again this season. Carroll did not know how the injury would affect Lockette’s ability to play in the future.
Lockette is in his fourth season with the Seahawks. Known primarily for his work on special teams on kickoff and punt coverage, Lockette had four receptions for 69 yards and one touchdown in Seattle’s first eight games this season.
Lockette was injured on the second-to-last play of the first half Sunday as he was part of Seattle’s punt coverage team. Lockette was sprinting down the field at full speed, ushered by a Dallas defender, when Heath lined him up and hit him high on the chest. Lockette was knocked straight backward and remained down on the turf, lying motionless on his side as the Seahawks’ medical staff raced onto the field to attend to him.
Lockette remained motionless for some time before eventually being immobilized and placed on a stretcher. He raised his right arm and put up his index finger while he was being wheeled off, drawing a cheer from the crowd.
It was later announced that Lockette had full motion in all of his limbs and had suffered a concussion. He was taken to a local hospital for precautionary reasons, where he remained overnight. It was eventually determined Lockette needed surgery.
A day later the Seahawks were still concerned about their teammate.
“Everybody was just really scared,” said Carroll, who expressed his gratitude to the medical staffs of both teams, the medical staff at the stadium, and the staff at Baylor University Medical Center for the care they provided to Lockette. “He’s one of the guys, and knowing he has to go through surgery is very personal to us. It’s a family feeling, and it’s like if somebody in your family gets sick or whatever, our guys responded in that way. They were very focused to continue to play in the game and all that, and today they’re just concerned for him.”
Heath was given a personal foul penalty on the play for what was the officials described as a blindside hit. As of Monday there was no news from the league regarding whether Heath would be fined or suspended for the hit.
“It was a high hit,” Carroll said. “It was up high. We refer to the strike zone, that’s below the neck and above the knees. The league will figure it out.
“We are really teaching a whole different style of blocking in situations,” Carroll added. “We had gone over it in Friday’s meeting, that’s the day we go over new rules and things like that, and happened to show a hit that was an illegal hit during the week. Then we showed one, I think it was (Dallas tight end Jason) Witten made a block on a guy, kind of a peel back kind of situation. We always need to keep teaching about the safety issue of it. It’s a different style of football when you make those decisions. That’s where we’re going to and the league is moving that direction. I think the league is sending out the right message and we just have to continue to follow and teach accordingly.”
The Seahawks, who moved to 4-4 with Sunday’s victory, are now off for their bye week and will reconvene next Monday. Seattle then has three straight home games, beginning with the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals on Nov. 15.
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