Saivion Smith does not remember what he was trying to say, only that he was trying to say something and nothing was coming out of his mouth.
Smith, on the Detroit Lions‘ practice squad injured list, said he suffered about 20 seconds of temporary paralysis when he was carted off the field in the first quarter of a loss to the New England Patriots earlier this month.
The injury, he said, was “the scariest thing of my life.”
“I couldn’t even think about, you feel me, nothing except for like, ‘Damn, am I ever going to be able to play again and can I walk again and talk again?'” Smith said Wednesday in his first public comments since the injury. “All this (expletive), and all that was going through my head within like 20 seconds. But I feel fine now, so thank God.”
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Smith said he could not talk or move any of his limbs when he collapsed to the ground after trying to jam Patriots tight end Hunter Henry on the second defensive play of his first start with the Lions.
“I could see everything, I could hear everything, I saw my teammates on the sideline,” Smith said. “I saw everybody, but I just couldn’t move. I was trying to extend my arms, move my legs, I couldn’t do nothing for like 20 seconds.”
Trainers placed Smith on a backboard after the injury, and by the time he was taken by ambulance to a local hospital — with his father in the passenger seat — he had regained motor and verbal function.
Smith said his father “was just happy that I was able to walk again,” while he was angry he could not continue playing.
“Once I got in the ambulance and I could start moving again, I knew what was going on, like I was really pissed off cause I’m like, ‘Damn, I want to play,'” Smith said. “It was my first start since I got here, so I want to play right now to tell you the truth. I don’t even want to go through (surgery) and have to sit out for the rest of the season.”
Smith traveled back to Detroit on the Lions’ team plane after the game, where he was diagnosed with a brain injury and placed in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
He visited concussion and spine specialists, who found he did not suffer a concussion but instead was dealing with a bulging disc in his neck that “hit my spine and caused me to lock up like that.”
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Smith is scheduled to undergo neck fusion surgery Nov. 8 and faces a five-month rehab. He said he should be ready for organized team activities and has no worries about returning to the field.
“It’s just part of football,” he said. “That could have happened any play, anytime to anybody. That could have happened to the average Joe that works at McDonald’s, if he slip and fell. So I feel like it’s part of the game, it’s part of life, so do nothing but get the surgery and rehab and get better.”
Injury update
Amon-Ra St. Brown wore a red “no contact” jersey and was a limited participant in practice Wednesday, but the Lions receiver remains on track to play in Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins.
“Saint is moving right along. He’s good,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said.
St. Brown has played sparingly over the Lions’ past three games, since suffering a high ankle sprain in a Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He did not play in the Lions’ 48-45 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, was used sparingly in a Week 5 loss to the New England Patriots, and left the first quarter of last week’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys when he took a forearm to the helmet and was placed in concussion protocol.
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Campbell said Monday that St. Brown passed all concussion tests and never was diagnosed with a brain injury.
Nine players missed practice Wednesday, including starters Charles Harris (groin), DeShon Elliott (finger), T.J. Hockenson (knee), Jonah Jackson (neck) and Josh Reynolds (knee). Elliott had a splint on his right index finger in the locker room after practice, while Harris has missed the past two games.
D’Andre Swift was a full participant in practice after missing three games with sprained shoulder and ankle.
Ifeatu Melifonwu (ankle), Mike Hughes (knee), Chase Lucas (ankle) and Matt Nelson (calf) also did not practice.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.