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Jenna Laine, ESPN Staff Writer
TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting safety Jordan Whitehead was involved in a two-vehicle crash on his way to the team facility Saturday.
Whitehead and the other driver involved in the crash were transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.
The team said Whitehead will miss Sunday’s regular-season finale against the New Orleans Saints and is placing him on the reserve/non-football injury list. Tampa Bay has called up Ryan Neal from the practice squad.
Police told ESPN that around 9:30 a.m., officers responded to a crash at the intersection of North Dale Mabry Highway and West Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, less than a mile from the Bucs’ practice facility.
Whitehead, driving a Corvette, was traveling south on North Dale Mabry Highway and was attempting to turn left onto the eastbound lanes of West Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard when he hit a GMC pickup that was in the westbound lanes, according to police.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
A source told ESPN that the team’s head of security and training staff were able to get to Whitehead immediately to provide support.
In Week 12, Whitehead suffered a partially torn pectoral injury, and he battled his way back to start in the Bucs’ Week 17 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
The Bucs have also been without All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. since he suffered a knee injury in Week 14. Backup safety/nickelback Christian Izien, who has played extensively this season, is also out for the year after undergoing pectoral surgery last week. The team has been relying on Mike Edwards and Kaevon Merriweather.
Source: www.espn.com