The Vikings’ defense delivered its first big hit before kickoff Sunday when linemen Brian Robison and Linval Joseph steamrolled an unsuspecting Fox audio technician as they ran onto the field at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Bernie Beaudry was late getting to his position on the Cardinals’ sideline when he dashed across the southeast tunnel and was broadsided, sending the soundman and his parabolic microphone tumbling hard to the turf.
Sound guy to the IR pic.twitter.com/Q9HrNGBm7z
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) November 20, 2016
Video of the collision went viral on the internet. Beaudry dusted himself off and worked the game despite mangled eyeglasses and a bloodied nose.
“It was the stupidest thing in 20 years doing this job,” Beaudry said afterward. “I only saw the smoke. I didn’t see anybody coming, and then, boom!”
Robison clipped Beaudry, but it was Joseph, who is 6 feet 4 and weights 329 pounds, who landed the heaviest blow.
“I was really surprised somebody was there,” said Joseph. “I run out of the tunnel plenty of times and I’ve never seen anybody run across before. I’m glad he’s OK. Tell him I’m sorry.”
Robison circled back and tried to help Beaudry get back to his feet.
“I feel bad for the guy,” he said. “I was trying to help him out. He looked like he was hurting pretty bad.”
Robison was told Beaudry finished the game.
“Good for him. Tough guy,” Robison said.
Beaudry, 62, of Hugo, is a freelance audio technician who contracts for Twin Cities television stations and has worked the treacherous sidelines picking up sounds at Vikings games for two decades.
“I’ve had a lot of close calls, but this cancels out all of that,” he said. “I should have peeked.”
The Vikings plan to have the players autograph a picture of the incident and present it to Beaudry before their next home game Dec. 1 against Dallas.