Texans WR Tank Dell hospitalized after severe knee injury on TD catch vs. Chiefs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Texans wide receiver Tank Dell was taken to the University of Kansas Medical Center and the team said he would remain overnight after sustaining a severe left knee injury while making a 30-yard touchdown catch in a 27-19 loss to the Chiefs on Saturday.

Dell was coming across the back of the end zone and made a spectacular catch on a pass from C.J. Stroud before colliding with Houston teammate Jared Wayne on the way to the ground. Dell immediately grabbed at his knee and Wayne signaled for team trainers, who spent several minutes working on the wide receiver while teammates waited anxiously.

Dell was eventually placed on a stretcher and driven in a covered medical cart off the field, and then he was taken to the hospital.

“We'll get an update (Monday) on him,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “All of our thoughts and prayers are with Tank right now. You see what he means to our entire team. It hurts to see him go down like that. He was having a fantastic game.”

Dell had six catches for 98 yards and the touchdown when he was hurt with 11:40 left in the third quarter.

Stroud, who is one of Dell's closest friends, was visibly shaken. He had tears in his eyes as he watched Dell get loaded onto the cart, and Stroud was still getting consoled by teammates when he walked back to the Houston sideline.

“It's not easy to just let it go, especially (because) that's my best friend. It's not easy to move on and keep playing,” Stroud said. “I tried to do the best I could. My teammates helped me up. I appreciate the guys talking to me as I was going through it.”

The touchdown should have tied the game, but Ka'imi Fairbairn missed the ensuing extra point. The Chiefs took advantage of the momentum swing and marched 80 yards for a touchdown and a 24-16 lead, and they put away the game from there.

“You see your brother go down and get hurt that way, it’s hard to bounce back,” Ryans said. “You see him and how distraught he was, it’s hard to bounce back. It’s hard to rebound, because we care about each other. It’s not just about getting back to football. We truly care about each other, and in that moment, the most important thing was making sure that Tank was OK.”

It's the second straight year Dell has sustained what is certain to be a season-ending injury. He fractured his fibula in Week 13 against the Broncos last season, just as the rookie was breaking out, and had surgery on it the following day.

Then in April, the 25-year-old wide receiver was an innocent bystander at a private event in Sanford, Florida, when he sustained a minor gunshot wound. Dell spent a brief amount of time in the hospital but was able to return to Houston soon afterward.

“He loves this game so much. I don’t think that’s much of a question,” Texans receiver Xavier Hutchinson said. “He’s going to fight back. He’s going to come back even stronger, like he did this year. It’s only a matter of time.”

Dell was the second Texans player carted off Saturday. Free safety Jimmie Ward hurt his foot late in the first half.

Earlier in the game, the Texans' banged-up offensive line lost starting guard Shaq Mason to a knee injury on the fourth play, and backup lineman Blake Fisher had to be helped off with an undisclosed injury later in the first half. Their injuries came after Juice Scruggs, another starter on the offensive line, was declared inactive because of a foot injury.

Kansas City also sustained some significant injuries on a chilly, wind-swept Saturday.

The biggest was to defensive tackle Chris Jones, who was unable to finish after straining a calf. Chiefs coach Andy Reid would not say whether he thought the two-time All-Pro would be able to play against Pittsburgh on Christmas Day.

Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor did not return after straining his knee, while backup linebacker Jack Cochrane is likely done for the season after he fractured his ankle while blocking on a special teams early in the game.

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Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell, grabs his knee while being checked on by teammate Jared Wayne after catching a touchdown pass during the second half of an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (3) catches a touchdown pass as Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie (22) defends during the second half of an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. Dell was injured on the play. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell is checked on by teammate Jared Wayne, right, after catching a touchdown pass and being injured during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (3) catches a touchdown pass as Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie, left, defends during the second half of an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. Dell was injured on the play. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Mark Burnett, the power producer who helped reintroduce Donald Trump to a national television audience with “The Apprentice,” is being tapped by the president-elect as special envoy to the United Kingdom in his upcoming administration.

“With a distinguished career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role,” Trump announced Saturday.

Burnett, who was born in London, helped produce hits like “Survivor” and “The Voice,” but is perhaps best known for teaming up with Trump for “The Apprentice,” which first aired on NBC in 2004.

Trump had been well-known in real estate and pop culture circles for decades. But the show helped again make him a household name — though Trump severed ties with NBC in 2015, the same year he launched his first White House run.

The selection of Burnett continues Trump's trend of filling out his incoming administration with people who have high-profile backgrounds in television or politics, or both — including his choice to be defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, a former co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekend,” and ex-television doctor and unsuccessful Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, Mehmet Oz.

Trump’s first campaign in 2016 was rocked by allegations about his conduct on “The Apprentice” and other appearances during his association with NBC, notably in footage in which he said he could sexually assault women and get away with it because he was a “star.”

Almost a decade after he left his reality TV role, Trump’s television career remains central to his biography and political rise. The show presented Trump Tower to tens of millions of people as a symbol of power and success before Trump launched his first campaign from the building’s lobby.

“Mark is known for creating and producing some of the biggest shows in Television History," Trump wrote in his statement on Burnett, listing many of his biggest hits before adding, “most notably, ‘The Apprentice’" and noting that Burnett “has won 13 Emmy Awards!”

Later Saturday, Trump announced in a separate statement that he was picking casino magnate Tilman Fertitta as his choice to be U.S. ambassador to Italy.

Burnett, meanwhile, will be a special envoy, posts usually filled by presidents for the world's traditional hotspots, including the Middle East — where Trump has already said he'd like Steven Witkoff to fill the role. The United Kingdom, which has long enjoyed a “special relationship” with the U.S. that makes it one of Washington's strongest global allies, is not typically a candidate for such posts.

But Trump has announced a series of special envoy positions to several top loyalists ahead of Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, including his former ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell who he chose as envoy for special missions. That announcement joined previous ones including Adam Boehler as special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, and Keith Kellogg to serve as special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.

Trump previously announced on Dec. 2 that he was picking billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens for the more standard role of U.S. ambassador to Britain. That might raise questions about how a special U.K. envoy could overlap duties, but the president-elect said in his statement that Burnett “will work to enhance diplomatic relations, focusing on areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment opportunities, and cultural exchanges.”

FILE - President Donald Trump, right, talks with television producer Mark Burnett during the National Prayer Breakfast, Feb. 2, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - Television producer Mark Burnett, left, looks on as President Donald Trump arrives for the National Prayer Breakfast, Feb. 2, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)