FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Colts special teams coordinator Brian Mason tore multiple knee ligaments on the final play of Thursday night's preseason opener against the Patriots, a league source told IndyStar on Friday.
No further details on Mason's injury or his timetable for recovery were initially available. The Colts do not have a scheduled practice Friday; Indianapolis returns to the practice field at Grand Park on Saturday.
Mason was standing on the sideline with the rest of the coaches, watching the play.
As the scrum came towards him, Mason tried to get out of the way, but the players rolled up his knee, sending the special teams coordinator to the ground in obvious pain.
Indianapolis team doctors immediately attended to Mason on the sideline, but it was clear that it was a serious injury from the outset. Team doctors were evaluating Mason's knee when Colts head coach Shane Steichen met with the media after the game.
A coach getting injured on the sideline is a rare occurrence in the NFL, but it has happened. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn's face was bloodied in a sideline collision with Marcus Mariota last season, and in 2011, then-Saints head coach Sean Payton suffered a broken tibia and torn MCL when New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham collided with his lower body on the sideline.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: The latest on Colts special teams coordinator Brian Mason's knee injury