On
August 12,
1978, in a pre-season game against the
Oakland Raiders at
Oakland Coliseum, Stingley was the victim of a hit by the Raiders' defensive back
Jack Tatum. As Stingley leapt to make a catch, Tatum used his forearm in a head-on collision that knocked Stingley cold. The hit compressed Stingley's spinal cord, breaking his fourth and fifth vertebrae. Stingley eventually regained limited movement in his right arm, but spent the rest of his life as a
quadriplegic.
[3]. Adding the proverbial insult to injury, Stingley had just finished negotiating a contract extension that would have made him one of the highest paid receivers in the NFL. The new contract was to be announced when the Patriots returned from the West Coast. Instead, it was never signed.
[4]