Oakland Raiders WR Darrius Heyward-Bey Released from Hospital

During the Oakland Raiders comeback 34-31 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey took a vicious helmet to helmet hit that knocked him unconscious. He left the field on a stretch, but gave the thumbs up sign on his way out. Today he was released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

“He’s doing better,” Raiders head coach Dennis Allen said. “He’s, I believe, been released from the hospital. He had a concussion and he’s got a neck strain. He’ll make a full recovery. He’s going to be fine; we’ll just have to evaluate him and see where he’s at as far as when we get him back.”

On the Raiders first possession of the fourth quarter from the Pittsburgh 16 yard line, quarterback Carson Palmer threw to the endzone for Heyward-Bey. As he left his feet to make the catch, Steelers safety Ryan Mundy launched himself delivering a brutal helmet to helmet hit on Heyward-Bey. He was unconscious as he fell to the ground. The replacement referees did not throw a flag on the play, but Mundy will hear from the NFL this week with a suspension or fine.

“Listen, it’s the game of football,” Allen said. “I don’t think people are trying to go out there and hurt people. I think the safety was playing the game fast and physical. It’s a tough game to play when you’re making split second decisions on how you play the game. It’s the unfortunate thing that happens in this game, but we move on from it.”

Because of the significance of the injury, Heyward-Bey will likely miss some time for the Raiders. His next step in recovery will be to go through the NFL concussion tests and protocol before he can take the field again.

“Yeah, I talked to him this morning,” Allen said. “He sounded tired, but he’s doing okay. He was in good spirits; he’s doing fine. And we’re looking forward to getting him back.”

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