MIAMI _ Kendrick Norton has been back around the Miami Dolphins this week and the team honored its former defensive tackle ahead of its preseason-opener against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday.
Norton, who lost his left arm in an offseason auto accident, served as an honorary captain for the Dolphins as they ushered in the 2019 season at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Norton spent about seven months with the Dolphins before a July car accident ended his career. The team waived the defensive lineman later in the month, but will pay his full salary for the season.
On Thursday, Norton accompanied center Daniel Kilgore, linebacker Jerome Baker and safety Bobby McCain out to midfield for the opening coin toss to kick off the preseason. He shook hands with the Falcons captains before Miami won the toss to start the preseason with the ball.
Norton, who was a star for the Miami Hurricanes and attended Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville, was a seventh-round pick by the Carolina Panthers in the 2018 NFL draft. The Dolphins signed the defensive lineman off the Panthers' practice squad late in the fall and kept him with the team through the offseason. He was expected to compete for a roster spot with his new team this season before he crashed his truck into a barrier early on Independence Day morning. Norton's arm was amputated on the scene as two off-duty officers and an emergency medical technician performed aid until paramedics arrived. Norton spent about two weeks in the hospital.
On Monday, Norton made his first appearance at the Miami Dolphins Training Facility since the accident, surprising his former teammates in Davie as they prepared to start the preseason.
"It's good to see him in good spirits. Even when he left the hospital, he was in good spirits," said running back Mark Walton, who played with Norton for three seasons with the Hurricanes. "It's a tough thing for him to come out here. It's something that was just taken away from him in an accident. To see him out here still talking to the guys, you get a lot of guys who go through the motions when they get these type of injuries _ career-ending injuries _ so you come out here and you see the type of guy he is, first-class guy. He still cares about everybody. He still cares about the organization."
