Darrius Heyward-Bey Injury: Raiders WR Released From Hospital, Status Unknown

Darrius Heyward-Bey sustained a neck injury in the Oakland Raiders' 27-21 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, and it was one that left many of Heyward-Bey's teammates fearing for the worst. 

The San Jose Mercury-News has reactions from some of those players: fellow Oakland receiver Louis Murphy called Heyward-Bey staying down after a hit a "scary moment," and added, "When you see stuff like that, you kind of rethink what you're doing right now, rethink your occupation."

Meanwhile, fellow Maryland product E.J. Henderson, a Vikings linebacker, sympathized with Heyward-Bey. "Hopefully, I can get his number and try to reach out to him," said Henderson. "I have been in the ambulance before, so it's definitely hard."

Heyward-Bey was removed from the field on a cart and taken to a local hospital for tests, but was released to fly home with the Raiders on Sunday night.

For more on Heyward-Bey and the Raiders, visit Silver and Black Pride.

Oakland Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey was involved in a serious situation during Sunday's Raiders-Vikings game as he took a hit to the head and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher. DHB was down for several minutes as trainers immobilized his neck. He had leg and arm movement, which was an excellent sign, but there were concerns when he left the field.

Thankfully, it sounds like he is on the road to recover. After being checked out at a nearby hospital, DHB was deemed healthy enough to fly home with the team that evening. How do we know he could fly? Well, teammate Louis Murphy took a photo of DHB giving the thumbs up in a neck brace on the plane. That is most definitely a good sign.

There is no word on the implications of the injury moving forward. Raiders head coach Hue Jackson will address the media on Monday, at which point he will likely have more to say regarding Darrius Heyward-Bey. DHB had struggled the last few weeks with Carson Palmer at the helm, but had four catches for 43 yards on Sunday before the injury.

For more on the Raiders, check out Silver & Black Pride. For more on fantasy football, check out Fake Teams. Follow @sbnationfantasy on Twitter.

Oakland Raiders receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey has been released from the hospital after suffering a scary neck injury during Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings. Heyward-Bey had to be immobilized on a stretcher and wheeled off the field during the fourth quarter. Luckily, the injury does not appear to be as serious as initially feared. Heyward-Bey was allowed to join his teammates on the flight back to Oakland.

Heyward-Bey was taken to a local hospital for precautionary measures and X-rays. Head coach Hue Jackson said that the receiver was given an "O.K." to take the flight home.

"He was always alert," Jackson said, describing the injury as to the neck/spine. "I saw him out there and talked to him. I really truly believe that he is going to be OK, but obviously, we have to take all the precautions to make sure that he is going to be OK."

Still, Heyward-Bey's status for next week's game against the Chicago Bears should be considered in jeopardy at this point, especially considering the league's beefed-up stance towards head injuries.

For more on the Raiders, check out the SB Nation blog Silver And Black Pride. Stay tuned to our Week 11 StoryStream for more on the day's action.