Early on Thursday morning, Kendrick Norton, a defensive tackle with the Miami Dolphins, was severely injured when the Ford F250 he was driving crashed into a concrete barrier on a highway near Miami. The truck overturned and came to a rest on its roof. Norton needed to have his left arm amputated on the scene.
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He is now in stable condition, but at the young age of 22, Norton’s NFL career is over before it ever really began.
On Tuesday, Norton was informed that the NFL’s and Dolphins’ insurance policy would cover all of his medical bills. He’ll be able to concentrate on his future surgeries and the long road to recovery unburdened by high medical costs. The hope is that Norton will be a candidate for a prosthetic arm.
Malki Kawa, Norton’s agent, told ESPN that the defensive tackle’s “spirits are up considering the traumatic accident that he suffered and he’s thankful for the support.”
Earlier this week, Norton posted an Instagram story, saying, “I’m good thank you to everyone that checked on me!!! I’m good thanks for the prayers to God be the glory”
Kendrick Norton on his Instagram story this morning 🙏 pic.twitter.com/HmOUhQ0FdJ
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) July 8, 2019
Norton, whose Twitter bio simply says “#christ,” has received an outpouring of support from the Dolphins’ faithful, the Miami community and his college coaches with the Miami Hurricanes, including his head coach and noted Christ-follower Mark Richt.
We were made aware this morning of a serious car accident involving Kendrick Norton. Our thoughts and prayers are with Kendrick and his family during this time.
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) July 4, 2019
The U family is praying for Kendrick, his family and the medical professionals helping him this morning. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 https://t.co/uYgXANF5H0
— Manny Diaz (@Coach_MannyDiaz) July 4, 2019
Was sorry to hear about Kendrick Norton’s accident. Prayers from the Richt family. God bless!
— Mark Richt (@MarkRicht) July 4, 2019
My heart goes out to #KendrickNorton. Sad and disappointing news.
Keep your head up big fella. Though it's hard to understand right now, this too is a part of God's plan. And all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord ✊🏾#Canes #ProCanes #KendrickStrong
— J.T. Wilcox (@JTWilcoxSports) July 4, 2019
A GoFundMe page has also been created in Norton’s honor, and it has already raised more than $11,000.
Norton was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft after spending three seasons in college with the Hurricanes. The Dolphins picked him up off the Panthers’ practice squad last December.
The Florida Highway Patrol said a Maserati was also involved in the collision that led to Norton’s amputation, but that driver did not sustain any injuries.
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