NFL reporters are used to updating fans about player injuries. ESPN reporter Field Yates recently felt what it was like being on the other end of such injury updates.
Yates was in the Bahamas on vacation with some of his colleagues when disaster struck. ESPN’s resident fantasy football expert dislocated his shoulder after charging into an inflatable tackle dummy while on the beach.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter humorously broke the news on Yates’ shoulder injury, which was sustained while competing for draft seeding in their workplace fantasy football league.
“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.”
Breaking – @fieldyates shoulder. While engaging in an activity to determine the draft order in his fantasy football league at @espnfantasy Ultimate Draft Weekend in the Bahamas, Yates dislocated his shoulder, per sources. The injury resulted in a brief hospitalization, but Yates… pic.twitter.com/nozRwwJsBJ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 23, 2024
Schefter also released footage of the incident.
ESPN now has obtained exclusive footage of the precise moment in which @fieldyates dislocated his shoulder, before being briefly hospitalized. Contacted tonight for comment, Yates asked for privacy until he could reveal the full story Monday on @fantasyfocus at 10 AM EST. https://t.co/97vq4ICUtp pic.twitter.com/dzYvVnuD81
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 24, 2024
Yates went all out on the tackle. But his air-filled target just didn’t offer the resistance one would normally expect when trying to make hard contact. He ended up landing shoulder-first into the sand.
The 37-year-old reporter appeared to be in good spirits after getting discharged from the hospital. He said that the injury felt like the “worst pain of my life.” But Yates still managed to sneak in that people were calling him “the Lawrence Taylor of beach football.”
Worst pain of my life
However, many on the beach were calling me the Lawrence Taylor of beach football
Most importantly: @Stephania_ESPN is a hero
Full story coming on @fantasyfocus on Monday at 10 AM EST https://t.co/EHAZXVexiE
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) August 23, 2024
Yates hasn’t been afraid of trolling some of his peers in the past. He’s probably going to take a few licks in return for his very public injury.