Erin Andrews recalls a time she was driven to tears by a ‘nasty’ Tampa Bay Buccaneers player early in her career… and reveals that two franchise legends came to her aid

FOX Sports analyst Erin Andrews remembered a time early in her career that she was driven to tears by a rude player on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

On an episode of her podcast ‘Calm Down’, Andrews was answering audience questions when she revealed to the listeners and co-host Charissa Thompson about a time where she was belittled on the job to the point of tears.

She was asked if she ever cried at work, to which Andrews recalled the incident which happened to her when she was 19 or 20 years old.

‘I was working freelance for an Orlando station and they wanted sound from the Bucs locker room,’ Andrews revealed. ‘A particular player was so nasty to me.

‘He physically turned his back away from me in the middle of his scrum. He also told me to go back, rehearse my question and come back when I was ready. I was mortified.

She was consoled by Bucs legends Derrick Brooks (L) and John Lynch (R, with New England)

The story shocked Andrews’ co-host, Charissa Thompson, who said she hadn’t heard it before

‘I was 19, 20 years old. I had practiced. I did slip up a little bit, I stumbled. He knew it. He knew I was young.

‘I instantly started having tears come down my face, and two players in particular, Derrick Brooks and John Lynch, saw it, pulled me over, and said, “What do you need?”‘

Thompson was stunned, telling her co-host, ‘That’s incredible. I never heard you tell that story. Wow.’

Andrews, the 45-year-old sideline reporter veteran, did not name the player who was ‘nasty’ to her.

Whoever did that, it didn’t dissuade her from a career covering sports – something she’s done since 2000.