NFL reporters are no strangers to delivering injury updates on players, but ESPN’s Field Yates recently found himself on the receiving end of such news in an unexpected twist.
While vacationing in the Bahamas with some of his ESPN colleagues, Yates took part in a beachside activity that went hilariously and painfully wrong. The network’s fantasy football expert was competing in a lighthearted event to determine draft seeding for their workplace fantasy football league when he suffered a significant injury.
In an attempt to charge into an inflatable tackle dummy on the beach, Yates dislocated his shoulder.
The news of Yates’ injury was humorously “broken” by fellow ESPN reporter Adam Schefter, who took to Twitter to share the update in his signature style. “Breaking – [Field Yates]’ shoulder,” Schefter wrote. “While engaging in an activity to determine the draft order in his fantasy football league at [ESPN Fantasy] Ultimate Draft Weekend in the Bahamas, Yates dislocated his shoulder, per sources. The injury resulted in a brief hospitalization, but Yates now has been discharged and is aiming to be ready for opening day.”
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Schefter didn’t stop there—he also released video footage of the incident, showing Yates going all out in his tackle attempt. Unfortunately, the inflatable dummy didn’t provide the resistance he expected, causing him to land awkwardly, shoulder-first, into the sand.
Despite the mishap, Yates, 37, maintained a positive attitude after being discharged from the hospital. He humorously described the injury as the “worst pain of my life,” but couldn’t resist poking fun at himself, adding that people were now dubbing him “the Lawrence Taylor of beach football.”
Known for his playful ribbing of peers in the past, Yates is likely to take a bit of good-natured teasing in return for his very public injury.
Nevertheless, his colleagues and fans alike are relieved to see him in good spirits, even if he’ll be nursing a sore shoulder for a while.
