NC State safety Ashford headed back to Raleigh a day after frightening injury

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — North Carolina State safety Rakeim Ashford has been cleared to return to Raleigh, a day after being taken off the field on a stretcher during the Wolfpack’s season-opening win over UConn. Team spokeswoman Annabelle Myers said tests on Ashford came back “normal” Friday and the 6-foot-1 grad student was being released from a Hartford hospital. Ashford was hit late by a UConn player at the end of a kickoff return in the third quarter. He went down and lay motionless for about 10 minutes as both teams knelt and watched emergency crews work on him. Ashford was strapped to a stretcher and wheeled off the field.