Rodney Harrison’s On-Air Freeze During 'Sunday Night Football' Sparks Health Concerns
The pause was brief — but for fans who know Rodney Harrison's history, it opened the door to much bigger worries.
Published Dec. 1 2025, 10:29 a.m. ET
NFL fans don’t rattle easily, but Rodney Harrison had a lot of people shifting in their seats during Sunday Night Football. The former New England Patriots star and longtime NBC analyst appeared to freeze mid-answer on live TV, sparking concern about his health and medical history. Rodney has had a long NFL career, starting with his time with the San Diego Chargers in 1994.
He signed with the New England Patriots in 2003 and quickly became a leader in their secondary. He retired in 2009 and moved straight into broadcasting with NBC’s Football Night in America. Rodney's now one of the faces of the brand, which is why fans were concerned when he appeared to freeze up mid-show. Here’s what actually happened on the broadcast and what we know about Rodney’s health.
What caused Rodney Harrison’s on-air glitch?
Rodney was working the Denver Broncos–Washington Commanders Week 13 game at FedExField when things suddenly felt off. During NBC’s Football Night in America pregame show, a colleague asked him how he would attack Washington’s defense.
He started to answer — “The best way to attack them…” — then stopped, looked down at his notes, and seemed to lose his train of thought. After a pause, he added, “There’s a lot of stuff going on, I’m sorry. They don’t have a lot of discipline on the defensive side of the ball.” Rodney then cut himself off with, “That’s it. I’m sorry, guys.”
On camera, the moment was brief, but fans noticed. Some viewers worried they were watching a medical emergency, and others wondered if he was dealing with an audio issue. “Yeah, hopefully Rodney Harrison, famous for playing Safety and going helmet to helmet against every defenseless WR possible, doesn't have CTE from a career full of dirty hits,” one fan posted on X. Another added, “I wouldn’t be overly concerned. It seemed to me that the cold was bothering him that badly that he couldn’t focus.”
Neither Rodney nor NBC Sports has publicly detailed what caused the moment or whether he received medical treatment afterward. However, sports media site Awful Announcing reported that Rodney was “fine” following the pause. “There was some concern about NBC's Rodney Harrison not appearing well during Football Night in America, the SNF pregame show. We are told he is fine and will appear postgame on Peacock,” they posted on X.
Rodney Harrison has a history of medical problems.
Rodney didn’t shy away from contact during his NFL stint. He built a career as one of the league’s most physical safeties — and he’s been very open about the bill his body has paid for that. “I think I had at least 20 or 30 concussions,” Rodney said during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show. “I'm scared to death of what may happen to me.”
Harrison has repeated that fear several times over the years and now uses his NBC platform to warn players not to hide concussion symptoms. In 2022, he urged them to speak up during a Sunday Night Football segment and said the long-term risk of brain trauma is “not worth it,” per CBS News.