Dolphins offensive lineman Matos hospitalized, in stable condition after first day of training camp
Matos is in stable condition, but the team declined to say anything else about the nature of his injury.
The team ended practice while medical officials were administering to Matos, who was on the field and surrounded by teammates for more than 10 minutes before being airlifed to a hospital.
The team said the injury was not the reason practice ended after 90 minutes. First training camp practices generally tend to be shorter.
Matos, a 6-7, 334-pound offensive lineman, is in his second year in the league and has not played a snap in an NFL game.
'I want to be one of the best tackles to play in the NFL,' he said last year.
The Dolphins thought so much of Matos when they signed him 16 months ago that they guaranteed him $247,500, an unusually high number for an undrafted rookie. At least 10 other teams showed interest.
Born in the Dominican Republic, Matos, 23, initially played baseball growing up (he could throw in the 90s as a pitcher) but moved to the United States to play college basketball for two years at New Mexico and for a year at University of South Florida. He walked on as a football player at USF and played a couple dozen snaps on defense before moving to the offensive line.
Matos moved to the United States from the Dominican Republic when he was 17, initially for 'basketball, to learn English, learn the culture.'
In three years playing Division I college basketball, he averaged 3.4 points and 3.3 rebounds and 14 minutes per game in 48 games and 19 starts. But Matos' 'host family in Tennessee said… you will be a football player. You will never touch a basketball.' So he walked on at USF and appeared in two games as a defensive end before switching to the offensive line, where he never saw game action.
'I played 11 snaps in two games, against BYU and Howard, got the feel for it, played special teams,' Matos said. 'Football is a beautiful sport.'
Matos is one of more than a dozen NFL players who was selected for the NFL's International Player Pathway Program, designed to give opportunities to foreign players. He runs well for his size — a 4.88 in the 40-yard dash.
Cornerback injured
Veteran cornerback Artie Burns, who signed with the team earlier this offseason, left the facility on crutches.
Burns appeared to be injured early in practice, when the team was stretching.
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