The Houston Texans secured the AFC South title in Week 15 with a win over the Miami Dolphins, but the game was overshadowed by an injury to wide receiver Grant DuBose. The injury occurred after a hit by rookie safety Calen Bullock, which forced DuBose to leave the field on a stretcher. Bullock, who was responsible for the hit, expressed his concern for DuBose after the game, emphasizing that his intentions were never to injure anyone. Bullock explained that he was simply reacting to the ball and making a play, and the injury was an unfortunate outcome of that effort.
The incident happened during a third-quarter play when DuBose, running a deep slant route, attempted to catch a pass from Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. As the deep safety, Bullock made contact with DuBose, resulting in a hard hit that led to a flag for unnecessary roughness. The game was paused for more than 10 minutes as medical staff attended to DuBose, who had to have his upper body clothing removed as part of the evaluation.
Despite the tough moment, Bullock and his teammates were visibly concerned for DuBose’s well-being. Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud also offered his best wishes for DuBose during his post-game interview, showing solidarity with his injured opponent. Bullock, who had six tackles in the game, was particularly relieved when he learned that DuBose was in stable condition at the hospital.
In his comments, Bullock reiterated that he was not trying to hurt anyone and was focused on making a play on the ball. “My intentions were never to go out there and hurt nobody,” he said. “I was just seeing the ball and breaking on it.” He expressed hope that DuBose would recover and was grateful to hear that the wide receiver’s condition had stabilized after the game. The emotional response from Bullock highlighted the shared concern among players for each other’s safety, even amid the intensity of an NFL game.
