Panthers Waive DB J.T. Ibe for Head Shot That Had WR Stretchered Off the Practice Field

Panthers practice was halted on Tuesday morning after wide receiver Keith Kirkwood took a head shot from defensive back J.T. Ibe.  Kirkwood was stretchered off the field before leaving practice in an ambulance.

Ibe was kicked out of practice after the hit to Kirkwood's head and neck area.

Keith Kirkwood injury, doesn’t look good pic.twitter.com/oYbBx1dnrA

— Panthers On Tap Podcast (@PanthersOnTap) August 3, 2021

Reserve safety JT Ibe levels Keith Kirkwood, who’s down. Ibe kicked out of practice.

— Joe Person (@josephperson) August 3, 2021

It's an unfortunate part of the game and it's really hard to see if the hit was avoidable or not from the video.  Hopefully Kirkwood is able to make a full recovery.

The Panthers felt the hit was avoidable and waived Ibe for the hit following practice.

Panthers waived JT Ibe after he hit Carolina WR Keith Kirkwood in the head during this morning’s practice.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 3, 2021

There was a time that this kind of hit would have been celebrated, maybe not on a teammate, but the game has certainly changed.