Inside Edition's Lisa Guerrero is opening up about her experiences as a sports reporter on Monday Night Football.
Guerrero has been open about being ridiculed and harassed during her time as a sports reporter and how deeply it hurt her. She even revealed she had suicidal thoughts from the scrutiny. But now she's talking about going through something that almost no one knew about.
Guerrero says that she suffered a miscarriage while on the sidelines of a game in 2003. She's opening up about the experience in her memoir, Warrior: My Path to Being Brave.
“People who knew what was going on with [my boss] Freddie (Gaudelli) and who read how I was being treated in the media already looked at me with such pity,” she told People about why she stayed quiet until now. “I was a shell of myself. And I felt such shame and embarrassment that the last thing I was going to say is, 'Oh, and by the way, I just had a miscarriage.'"
Guerrero said that the way her boss treated her during her time on the show “obliterated all other [parts] of my life — a great job, lots of money, and a gorgeous fiancé." But she doesn't directly blame him for the miscarriage. "It was a culmination of the entire season of negativity and cruelty. It was really cruel," she said.
She told People about the exact moment the miscarriage happened. "I pushed through and did my reports," she said. "When I felt a dampness between my legs, I thought, ‘Oh, I got my period.’ And then I remembered I was pregnant."
She said she could "feel blood leaking" through her clothing, and even though the bathroom was right behind her, there was no time to step away. "‘I’m going to the bathroom,’ I told my assistant, whose job was to race around the field with me. He looked at me as if I were insane. ‘They’re about to throw to you.’"
Instead, Guerrero stayed put and delivered her report through the pain and nausea. "As soon as I finished, I raced off to interview a coach. Then I headed to the bathroom. As I sat on the toilet, I couldn’t believe the blood pouring out of me. It had soaked through my pants. I shoved a bunch of paper towels in my underwear."
Even though she was in agony, she says she was worried about the mistakes she might've made, knowing she'd get "reamed" out for it later.
She kept the ordeal a secret until now. "The only thought that crossed my mind was that I could get through the rest of the game as long as I buttoned up my long winter coat. That way, no one would see the blood. It was as if I were on autopilot. Get back on the sideline. Interview the coach. Listen to Freddie’s directions."
