The New Orleans Saints suffered a truly horrific and rare event.  Every now and then, a player will suffer a gruesome injury during a

game.  That is the reality of playing a physical sport regardless of whether that is football, basketball, soccer or whatever.  What no one

ever expects is for a spectator to endure grueling pain during a sporting event.  The recent Week 13 matchup between the New Orleans

Saints and the Detroit Lions was a sad exemption to the safety of spectators.

New Orleans Saints field crew set for Surgery

During the Saints-Lions game, Alvin Kamara was being chased to the sideline by Detroit defenders.  He was tackled out of

bounds directly into Nick Piazza, the field staffer who was responsible for holding the first down marker.  Cameras briefly lingered on

Piazza for a few moments until the broadcasters realized that Piazza had suffered a gruesome compound fracture of his fibula.

On Monday, the Saints press team confirmed that Piazza suffered a fractured fibula and dislocated knee.  The team said that Piazza’s

blood vessels remained intact.  Piazza will go into surgery this week following the injury.  Be warned, the video is gruesome as the

broadcast lingers on the compound fracture prior to their awareness of the injury.

The injury is a reminder that everyone along the sidelines should remain vigilant similar to the way everyone at a baseball game

should remain aware of foul balls.  Field crew hold a very important job but at the same time are put into the action by being placed

right at the sideline at the exact location where players are most likely to dive (the first down marker).

New Orleans Saints Prospects

Following the loss to the Lions, the Saints season playoff chances have taken a hit as they fall a full game behind the Atlanta Falcons.

With the weakness of the NFL South, the wild card is virtually unattainable and the Saints will need to step it up to overtake the Falcons.