Sunday night’s matchup between the Bears and Texans suffered a brief delay midway through the third quarter.
The reason? A member of the match management team suffered a nasty fall after trying to avoid contact with players heading towards him.
Here’s what you need to know.
Why was the Bears-Texans game delayed?
The Chicago-Houston game was going as well as could be expected until the linesman fell to the ground with 13:13 left in the third quarter.
The incident happened on the sideline, at the 20-yard line. The man, Dwight Steffler, appeared to trip over the fence after escaping the rush of Chicago and Houston players. He then fell and hit his head, sending his glasses flying in the wind.
Member of the channel’s travel and drop crew for the Texans-Bears game.
He is taken off the field. pic.twitter.com/YrjFNThzbO
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) September 16, 2024
Medical staff rushed to treat his injuries. After a brief conversation with Steffler, a cart was called. He was helped to his feet before being placed on the machine and taken to the locker room.
NBC reporter Melissa Stark gave a brief update on Steffler’s condition during the delay.
“I was standing right next to him. His name is Dwight Steffler.” Stark said: “He’s part of the network team.”
“At first, when the ball came toward him, you could see him, he fell backwards and hit his head. And the Bears medical staff immediately came out to try to help him. They brought in the paramedics and their equipment. They sat him down and he started talking. And they called for the cart to come out and now you can see it. I’m kind of stuck with him, but they’re getting him ready to get him off the field.”
Steffler has been a fixture on the network’s teams for several seasons, even providing his services during the Super Bowl. There was no immediate update.
