NFL fans should be praising CBS for how the network handled the injury to Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton on Sunday.
Thornton, a veteran wide receiver, was having the best game of his career on Sunday, catching five passes for more than 100 yards and two touchdowns. However, late in the fourth quarter, he went down with a serious ankle injury, after a huge first down catch. Thornton initially celebrated the first down, before looking down at his leg, realizing that his ankle had been severely injured.
Video of the injury quickly went viral on social media (warning: it’s graphic), but CBS chose to refuse to show replay of it in full. “Oh, no,” J.J. Watt could be heard saying live on the air.
NFL on CBS.
CBS ultimately showed a half-replay of the play, cutting away before you saw what happened to Thornton’s ankle.
The network then took a break before returning, showing Thornton being escorted off of the field.
CBS handled it as professionally as possible
Initially, the network didn’t realize what had happened, as Thornton was celebrating the first down. However, once it was clear what had happened to Thornton’s ankle, the network handled it with class.
Thornton received well wishes from both of CBS’s announcers, Jim Nantz and J.J. Watt, while the broadcasting booth made it clear how devastating the injury was.
It’s always tough to react to this kind of thing in real time, especially when it’s a booth like Nantz and Watt, that doesn’t have a ton of experience working together.
But the longtime NFL announcer and the former NFL star handled it as professionally as possible on Sunday evening, and it’s something that the network should be praised for. You never want to see gruesome injuries, but when they happen, you at least want the broadcasters to react in proper form.
