Although everyone makes mistakes, it can still be humiliating—especially when it happens on air, for everyone to hear. Erin Andrews had a really uncomfortable moment on air recently, which left her feeling pretty mortified and worried about what people would think of her ability to do her job. She recently revealed what was really going on at the time and reflected on how she could’ve handled it differently.
By the sounds of it, she’s still embarrassed by the stressful situation, but she tried to reframe it as “a learning experience” during a recent episode of her Calm Down podcast. Luckily, at least one person appeared to be supportive. She recalled how Tom Brady reacted to the “inappropriate” moment that still “gives (her) chest pains” when she thinks about it.
Erin was completely out of breath for her halftime report on Sunday, October 25.
She was covering the Detroit Lions and Green Back Packers game for Fox Sports. What made it difficult for her, she explained on her podcast, was the set-up at Ford Field. She explained that it’s “different than any other stadium” due to the long ramp. She had more time to talk to Packers head coach Matt LaFleur because of it.
“Normally, you get two quick questions,” she said. “Well, we get a long ramp, and I like Matt LaFleur, I consider him a friend.” After asking the coach a few questions, she realized she had an extremely limited amount of time left, which left her scrambling to get her notes together and gather everything that she needed.
Looking back, she realizes she could’ve asked for a minute to “gather info” because she “just had a four-minute conversation with Matt LaFleur,” but instead, she was “panicking.”
When she went on air, she was “fully f—ing out of breath, which is inappropriate.” Thinking back to that moment, she said, “Like, get it together, sister. In through the nose, out through the mouth. It was all because the ramp was so long.”
Tom Brady appeared to empathize with her.
Given how much she was struggling, she was worried that everyone would notice. Tom did notice — but he seemed to be quite understanding.
She recalled thinking, “Oh my god, how many people are watching and I just s— down my leg. I’m so much better than that.”
She “blanked out” and also promised Kevin Burkhardt that she would “get it together at some point.” Meanwhile, Tom said, “Awww.”
Erin explained, “He did that on-air because he knew I was struggling.” So, at least someone appeared to be supportive.
Erin also reflected on how she still has more to learn.
“It still tells me I love my job,” she said. “I need to get better. I’m still learning things.” And now she understands that she could’ve handled the situation differently. “That’s on me,” she admitted. “I should have said, ‘Have (Tom) Rinaldi go first. I’m still trying to gather info’ … I should have just said, ‘Hey guys, give me a beat.’ So, that’s a great learning (experience).”
READ NEXT: Carrie Underwood’s New ‘Sunday Night Football’ Intro Has NFL Fans Seriously Divided
You must be logged in to post a comment.