Shamarko Thomas Injury A Scary One, Status Still TBD

Certainly, my emotions in the moments after the hit that sent Shamarko Thomas' helmet flying and his crumpled body to the Dome turf where it wobbled back and forth a couple times before coming to a standstill are not of critical importance. But if the nature of that moment didn't zap you back into reality, I don't know what else could.

Thankfully, a few minutes later he stood up and our worst fears remained unrealized. However, it was a stark reminder of the kind of power, impact and speed in which these guys play at and how dangerous it is.

Not gonna lie, I got tears in my eyes when I watched his teammates kneel down around him, almost immediately. Not in a "Go Syracuse" kind of way but in a "Go Humanity" way. I'm sure these guys live with the fear of those moments in the back of their minds and to see it almost come to pass to one of their teammates and friends right in front of their sidelines, I can't imagine.

So far, no word out of SU on Shamarko's status. Given how important the effects of concussions are to the school right now, I would not be surprised to hear that Thomas isn't playing next week, even if he's healthy. But we'll have to wait and see.

Doug Marrone only briefly addressed Thomas in his presser, saying that he really hadn't had a chance to confer with his trainers.

"I just made sure it wasn’t anything drastic. I don’t know how to explain that but something really, really bad. I haven’t talked to the trainers. I knew it was a late game and I’ll be honest. I tried to come out here for you guys because I know you guys have deadlines and things like that."