What happened to Rodney Harrison? Health struggles explored as former NFL star’s on-air pause sparks concern

Former NFL player Rodney Harrison, who is currently a sports commentator, faced a blank moment for a few seconds while appearing live on TV on November 30. Sparking concerns about his health and safety, Harrison, who is an analyst for NBC's Football Night in America, appeared to lose his train of thought while providing commentary during the Commanders vs. Broncos game.

Rodney Harrison was asked to discuss the defensive plays of the Commanders when he stopped to peer at his notes before responding and saying,

“The best way to attack them…”

According to The Mirror US, Harrison seemed to pause and freeze up. The former football player attempted to continue the commentary, and said,

“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.”

However, he wasn’t able to continue providing an analysis of the game, and the news outlet noted that he finally added,

“That’s it. I’m sorry guys.”

Harrison’s appearance during the show sparked concern among viewers and fans, who took to social media to wonder about the former safety’s health. As of the writing of this article, neither Harrison, nor his team have publicly revealed if the analyst is dealing with any serious medical issues.

Something not right with Rodney Harrison tonight #SNFonNBC pic.twitter.com/D5SlwwI0Er

— Jim Hulsey (@hulsey_jim) December 1, 2025

About Rodney Harrison’s health struggles and football injuries

Rodney Harrison retired in 2009 after 15 years in the NFL, during which period he played for the San Diego Chargers and the New England Patriots. Harrison’s football journey saw the safety deal with multiple injuries and concussions.

During the 2005 and 2006 seasons, Harrison struggled with knee problems, according to Bleacher Report.

Then, during the 2008 season, Harrison was placed on injured reserve by the Patriots when he tore his quadriceps muscle during the third quarter of a game against the Broncos. According to the NFL, Harrison had already been dealing with thigh problems before the previous season’s playoff games.

Other than knee and thigh problems, Harrison also suffered 20 concussions during his time with the NFL, as per The Los Angeles Times. In fact, in 2013, the former NFL star publicly spoke about the dangers that football players face everyday. While speaking to NBC’s Bob Costas, Harrison admitted that he himself is scared to face the consequence of all the concussions he suffered in the past. As per Yahoo Sports, he said,

“A lot of these players are really really suffering, Bob. And this stuff is for real because I'm experiencing it now. I'm scared to death. I have four kids, I have a beautiful wife and I'm scared to death what might happen to me 10 or 15 years from now.”

Getting ready for Sunday Night Football. Nice to have some sun ⁦@JacCollinsworth⁩ ⁦@SNFonNBC⁩ pic.twitter.com/mNiOFZjPoW

— Rodney Harrison (@Rodney_Harrison) December 19, 2021

At the time, Harrison shared a team’s response to a player suffering a concussion on the field, and as per The Los Angeles Times, added,

“I would get up, hit someone, the entire stadium is spinning around, and I would walk to the sideline and they would hold me out for one play, they’d give me two Advils, and they’d tell me, ‘Get back into the game.’”

He also criticized the way the NFL handled concussion injuries. According to The Los Angeles Times, Harrison revealed that during his time as a player, there was not a lot of awareness about concussions and players often did not understand the consequences of the injury. He also shared that even after his retirement, he continued to suffer from headaches and anxiety.