Budding NFL player who lost arm in accident will have medical bills paid by Dolphins

KC Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes launches football out of stadium

The 2018 NFL MVP took a break from his workout to show off his arm strength. According to estimates, he launched the ball over a wall approximately 260 feet tall.

A promising NFL defensive tackle who lost his arm in a July 4 car crash will be paid by the Miami Dolphins even though he will never play again.

Kendrick Norton, 22, will receive his full salary after the team elected to put him on the reserve/non-football injury list. In addition, the team will pay all of his medical bills, including the cost of at least a half-dozen surgeries he has undergone and a prosthetic arm. Norton had his left arm amputated after his Ford F-250 struck a concrete barrier on Route 836 near Miami.

"I just want to give a big thank-you, first of all, to God for me still being here," Norton said last week as he left the hospital where he was treated. "Second of all, to Jackson Medical Center. They did a great job. They took great care of me while I was in here, Next, I would like to thank the Miami Dolphins family. They've been crazy with how much help they've been willing to give and, you know, they really didn't have to."

FoxNews.com previously reported that Norton's agent said his care would be covered under the league's contract with players and the team's insurance policy, but the announcement from the team means he will receive his full salary. The figure was not available but had he at a minimum made the team's practice squad, he would have earned $8,000 per week.

Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores, as well as several teammates, visited Norton while he was undergoing treatment.

Norton was cited in the accident for an improper lane change, according to a report obtained by ESPN. State Police say he pulled his pickup truck in front of another vehicle and brushed it before crashing into the barrier. According to the report, alcohol and drugs were not suspected as a factor in the accident for either driver.

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Norton, a 6-foot, 3-inch, 318-pound lineman, was a seventh-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2018 out of University of Miami. The Dolphins signed him off the Panthers' practice squad in December and had hoped he would compete for a roster spot.