Fan Injures Broncos Carter

October 4, 1999 / 10:04 PM EDT / CBS/AP

With insults raining down from Mile High Stadium's notoriously boisterous South Stands, Dale Carter's knees buckled and he immediately put his hands to his face.

The Denver cornerback was the victim of an unidentified flying metal object Sunday after the Broncos lost 21-13 to the New York Jets to fall to 0-4. The attack left Carter with blurred vision Monday morning, but tests showed the orbital bone beneath his left eye wasn't broken.

"It could have been potentially a catastrophic injury," Broncos trainer Steve Antonopulos said. "Another inch and he could have been blinded."

Denver tight end Shannon Sharpe broke the orbital bone in 1995 and missed the team's final three games. That injury happened when teammate Mark Schlereth inadvertently hit Sharpe in the face during a play.

There was nothing accidental about Carter's injury as a fan threw an object from about 20 feet above the field as the Broncos made their way toward the locker room. The object found its way through Carter's facemask.

"Let's not have one individual do something like that and make it sound like it's all our fans," Denver coach Mike Shanahan said. "I would like to think we've got a lot of classy fans and a couple people got carried away."

Carter has been an easy target for fans and the media, struggling since signing a four-year, $22.8 million contract in the offseason. He was whistled for two interference penalties that led to a New York touchdown Sunday, and he was beaten for a touchdown by Keyshawn Johnson in the first quarter.

"He's pressing a little bit," Shanahan said. "When you press, sometimes you make some mistakes you normally don't make."