The Stanford Cardinals are facing Rhett Lashlee’s SMU at the Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Currently, the Mustangs are leading 7-0 after Kevin Jenning’s 19-yard touchdown pass to Derrick McFall. However, apart from trailing in the game, Stanford has faced another massive setback as cornerback Aaron Morris had a severe neck injury and had to leave the game unexpectedly.

The play came on 3rd and 9 when neither team had opened their scores. Stanford’s two defenders, including Aaron Morris, leaped onto a first-down pass from Jennings and collided with each other, resulting in a severe neck injury. The officials then called for an immediate stop as the medics immediately attended to Morris on the field.

After some time, it was revealed that the injury was way more brutal than anticipated, and an ambulance had to come onto the field to carry Morris. Morris’s face mask was removed, and he was placed on a stretcher to be taken into the ambulance.

“Aaron Morris has cleared all precautionary tests and is returning to be with the team for the conclusion of the SMU matchup,” Stanford Football’s X account provided the update. The program also thanked everyone for their “thoughts and prayers.” 

According to Cardinals’ spokesperson Brian Brownfield, Morris is “alert and responsive” and is “doing well.” The 5’11” and 195 lbs. cornerback hails from Lowell, Massachusetts, and has been at Stanford since the 2023 season. So far, the player has 27 tackles to his name, with 4 tackles coming this season. This year, he played in four games, including against Hawaii and San Jose State. As for whether Morris misses further games, it would be a critical blow for the team if it happens.

Unexpected beginnings for Aaron Morris

Aaron Morris has lately become incredibly important for the Cardinals, after team injuries propelled him to start several games. His journey from coming to Jamaica and knowing not a single thing about football to starting for the Cardinals is incredible. Morris had played cricket till 15 and got introduced to the gridiron just four years back.

“I had no idea what football was. I’ve never been to Notre Dame, so I’m excited to go there for the first time. I hear a lot of great things about Notre Dame. I have one of my friends, Ty Chan, he’s a lineman at Notre Dame, so I’m probably gonna get to see him so I’m excited for that,” said Morris. His cricketing journey, though, is incredible in itself as he played for the Jamaican National Team.

According to Aaron, his dad started getting him acquainted with cricket and played the sport, getting selected in Jamaica’s under-15 team. From then on, ideally, the cricketing journey should have begun for Morris. But when his parents emigrated to America in 2018, fate presented him with another opportunity. So far, his career has grown steadily in college football, and we hope he comes back unscathed and strong.