Indianapolis Colts special teams coordinator Brian Mason appeared to suffer a significant injury on the final play of his team’s 13-13 tie against the New England Patriots.
The Colts opened their preseason at Gillette Stadium on Thursday night, and the road game ended with a scary sideline moment.
Coordinator Mason was standing on the edge of the field when his team’s quarterback, Riley Leonard, attempted a Hail Mary that would have given Indy a walk-off win.
Colts coach evaluated for injury in preseason opener
The play fell incomplete, but as it unfolded, a Colts player and a Patriots player were seen shoving each other at the edge of the field.
They stepped out of bounds, and while Mason tried to move out of the way, he took contact and hit the ground in obvious pain.
He was seen wincing in pain before doctors attended to him on the field, and was later taken the locker room for evaluation.
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Colts head coach Shane Steichen offered a brief update on Mason after the game, which saw the struggling Anthony Richardson return to the fold.
“He’s getting evaluated for his knee right now,” Steichen said.
“He got rolled up, right on the sideline. We’ll see.”
According to The Athletic, Mason was still able to fly back to Indianapolis with the team on Thursday night, and ‘further evaluation’ is slated for Friday and the coming days.
Footage of the moment was replayed by the television broadcast, and shared widely online.
“Prayers up to our coach. Always something here in Indy man,” one fan wrote, watching the video.
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“Football is a brutal business really. Hope he’s okay,” another said.
“Oh man, that looked bad,” a third wrote.
“Awful way to end a preseason game. Hope Brian Mason is okay and it’s nothing serious,” a fourth said.
Mason is entering his fourth season as special teams coordinator in Indianapolis.
Before landing in the NFL, he held the same role for two college teams, Cincinnati and Notre Dame — where he had one of the best special teams unit in the country in 2022.
A coach suffering an injury on the sideline is rare, but it has happened before.
Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn was left with a bloodied nose after quarterback Marcus Mariota collided with him during a game against the Las Vegas Raiders last September.
Back in 2011, Sean Payton tore the MCL and fractured the tibia in his left leg following a collision on the sideline when he was head coach of the New Orleans Saints.
