Pam Oliver suffered a concussion when she was drilled in the face by an errant pass while reporting on the sidelines in mid-August.
But the Fox NFL sideline reporter doesn’t remember any of it.
“I asked the people around me, ‘What happened?’ Oliver told the New York Daily News. “They told me I just got hit in the head with a football.”
See video: Fox’s NFL Reporter Pam Oliver Drilled in Face By Football During Broadcast
Oliver was mid-interview during pre-game warmups when a ball thrown by Indianapolis Colts backup quaterback sailed over his wide reciever’s head, nailing Oliver. She finished working the preseason game at the New York Giants’ Met Life Stadium, but developed symptoms later that night.
The following day, Oliver woke up with a bad headache and light sensitivity.
While a CT scan came up clean, a doctor diagnosed the journalist with a concussion. Oliver spent the next five days in a dark room.
Also read: NFL, Ex-Players Agree to $765M Settlement in Concussion Suit
The irony of the sport which she reports on — especially in light of the recent concussion lawsuit settlement — is not lost on Oliver.
“Players don’t want to be reminded about their concussions. They don’t want to be known as the guy who went down with one. They downplay it,” she told the newspaper. “Then it happens to me and I start wondering how these guys go back to being hit, taking all that punishment, a week or two later.”
Oliver is set to return to the sidelines Sep. 8 when the Green Bay Packers visit the San Francisco 49ers, where she’ll be a little more careful.
“I’m now officially road kill,” she said. “But when I’m back on the sidelines, I’ll do what I always do: Stay a bit behind the line of scrimmage. And keep my head on a swivel.”
