Team Gives Gift To Child Hit In End Zone

(CBS)  After a potentially disastrous collision with a Colorado State football player, 4-year-old Caden Thomas is remarkably free of serious injury and was even up to an early morning appearance on The Early Show.

Caden was on the sidelines when Colorado State wide receiver George Hill ran to catch a touchdown pass during a spring scrimmage. Hill tried to stop himself, but the impact caused Caden to smash into a padded concrete wall. Hill said it happened in a split second.

"When I looked directly at him, I just fell straight to the ground and tried to stop my momentum," Hill, who has a 2-year-old daughter, told The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm. "Being a parent, that's a scary scene right there."

"It was about third down and 10 and I had the feeling they were going to go to the fade route to the corner," said Caden's dad, Mike. "I put my hands out for my kids and he just got past me and connected with George."

Sitting up in the stands, Caden's mother, Holly, saw the commotion, but didn't see the actual play. She saw her husband hit the turf and knew immediately one of her children had been hurt.

"I just bolted down there as fast as I could and came on my bloody little child on the sidelines," she said.

The Thomases worried that their son was seriously injured or paralyzed, but all his neurological tests are fine. A lot of the credit goes to Hill, Mike Thomas said.

"George did a great job because we watched it frame by frame and there's subtle things that George did that dampened the blow, by bringing his head back at the last moment, getting his left arm wrapped around Caden at the right moment," he said. "If that hadn't happened, the head would have hit the concrete. We caught about the bottom six inches of that pad."

"At first, when I picked him up from the ground, I was making sure he was coherent," Hill said. "When he started crying, I finally realized he was alright and he was just bleeding from the head so I just handed him to the referee."

Hill said he tried to catch Caden and bring him into his own body so he wouldn't be pinned against the wall.

He brought Caden a special gift: a Colorado State jersey with Hill's number and Thomas written on the back. But Caden's parents say they might not have their son play football and maybe stick to soccer instead.

[rozchatt]

I hope his parents, and especially his father, start taking Caden's welfare and safety at least as seriously as their own! I felt that the father's sense of humor about the situation was not appropriate. That was due to the care and concern of the football player, not to the Dad's efforts who came across as some kind of a egotistical dimwit. Imagine bragging about his insights about where the play was going, but not being able to keep his eye on his child in a dangerous situation. People do make mistakes and I hope this was a wake up call for those parents. Sad how neither the Dad nor the Mom said absolutely anything to that effect. No wonder the child refused to respond to the Dad's coaxing to speak -- bet that little kid was/is hurt inside.

PunkProgress....why would you complain about the actions of the player being spotlighted?? People are saying what a good job he did, that he did all he could to lessen the blow to the child and not kill or paralyze him. Please explain what that shouldn't be highlighted.

[dragonmouse-2009]

It was just an accident. The kid probably dropped Dad's hand and wandered away. I have a nephew and when he was about this age without warning he would suddenly let go of your had and run. NOPE this wasn't an "all the time thing" it was just a "wild hair". The kid could have seen something...dropped Dad's hand and everything else happened within seconds. Dad was with him...and it was just an accident. The player feels awful but it wasn't HIS fault.

Whether the kid should or shouldn't have been on the field is sort of silly. I don't think they were doing anything super wrong. Kids can get knocked over in a parade, a festival or even standing on a corner waiting for the bus. Every situation can have the potential for danger. Maybe if they were "not" there at "that" time it would have "never happened". But wait...isn't that the scenerio for EVERYTHING.

I'm glad the child is OK. Accidents happen. You can't keep them in a bubble no matter how much you wish you could.

[chelseaann-2009]

I do NOT believe that you all are accurate about the irresposible parenting bit. there were multiple children on the sidelines playing and the Thomas' had multiple children of their own to look after, plus there was a distraction of the game going on. When I was a child my dad always took me to the spring game at CSU and I know for a fact that I wasn't always the center of his attention at all times. It is a fun family event that allows kids to run around together while the parents and other CSU fans can enjoy the game and see what talent the rams have to offer for the upcoming season. Shame on anyone critisizing the Thomas'. They are a very good family and anybody saying that they are irresponsible obviously are not parents themselves.

[nordeck52]

What I want to know is why they were even letting parents bring their toddlers to the endzone anyway? That just doesn't make any sense to me. I hold the parents responsible. They're just VERY lucky that their son wasn't paralyzed.

[sentry88]

Punk Progress. thois wasnt a black parent and you have no idea what tth PO PO would of done ,now do you, I WISH THE HELL PEOPLE WOULD QUIT USING THE RACE CARD.

[thinkwise]

Whatever...bottom line: family day, kid day, everybody-who-doesn't-play football day no one should be on the side lines not prepared to get out of way if a player is coming their way. So, that means no 4-year-old kids! Jeez, that wasn't well planned out!

[chelseaann-2009]

I do NOT believe that you all are accurate about the irresposible parenting bit. there were multiple children on the sidelines playing and the Thomas' had multiple children of their own to look after, plus there was a distraction of the game going on. When I was a child my dad always took me to the spring game at CSU and I know for a fact that I wasn't always the center of his attention at all times. It is a fun family event that allows kids to run around together while the parents and other CSU fans can enjoy the game and see what talent the rams have to offer for the upcoming season. Shame on anyone critisizing the Thomas'. They are a very good family and anybody saying that they are irresponsible obviously are not parents themselves.

[punkprogress]

This is a classic example of double standard in media reporting. No question cited here to the parents. Instead of the actions of this black player being spotlighted, where are the question to these irresponsible parents.

If black parents, a poor single back parent , or a black parent drinking beer, had allowed their child to wondered out on to a football field and into harm%u2019s way, what would law enforcement have charged them with and what would be this story line?

[nickol0315]

Accidents happen!!!! I'm sure it wasn't intentional on behalf of George Hill or Cadens parents!!!! Some of your readers are way too judgemental. Get over yourself and pay attention to whats going on in your family. Who knows what you have going on in your life. Just because your life isn't publicized doesn't mean that mistakes aren't being made by you too. Be happy and fell blessed that you don't have anyone putting your life in the spot light to judge your actions!!! God Bless!!!