Indianapolis Colts special teams coordinator Brian Mason suffered a major injury during the team’s preseason game against the New England Patriots. He tore several knee ligaments during the final play of the game, where a battle between two players reached the sidelines and led to him getting injured. While this means that he will not be back immediately on the field, the team has found a new spot for Mason to protect him from injury and further risk.

“He’s pretty tough,” head coach Shane Steichen said, via Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. “Obviously, he’s back out here in a brace. I think, right now, he’s going to let that thing heal. He has some serious injuries, which is wild, but he’s going to be up in the box for these next two preseason games, just for precautionary reasons.”

Brian Mason suffered the injury during a freak sideline collision in the final play of the Colts’ preseason game against the Patriots. Colts quarterback Riley Leonard threw a Hail Mary as time expired, while a Colts blocker and Patriots defender continued battling after the pass.

After the contact from the battle between the players, Mason was knocked to the ground. He immediately showed severe pain and grabbed his knee after the collision. Doctors later examined him and confirmed that he had multiple torn knee ligaments from the incident.

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Mason traveled back to Indianapolis with the Colts after the game and received more medical checks once he returned. Doctors still need to determine the full extent of his knee injury and decide on the best treatment. Surgery may be an option, depending on how badly his knee ligaments are damaged. Just two days after the injury, Mason returned to practice. He was able to walk on his own without crutches or a cart, but he wore a large brace on his injured leg to protect his knee.

Sideline injuries to coaches are not new. During the 1996 NFC Championship Game between the Packers and Cowboys, Packers assistant coach Gil Haskell suffered a serious injury on the sideline. He was involved in a collision that knocked him backward, causing the back of his head to hit the carpet-covered concrete beside the field. Haskell remained unresponsive for about five minutes before he started moving again and was taken away in an ambulance.

The impact caused a fracture in the back of his skull and a brain contusion, which is a bruise to the brain. Haskell later made a full recovery.

For Mason, the decision to keep him around the team makes sense, as the team can’t afford to lose him ahead of the season. 

Team’s success under Brian Mason 

Losing a coach like Brian Mason for the regular season would have been a major setback for the team, as he has 19 years of coaching experience and is entering his fourth season with the Colts. Plus, the team has shown positive results under him.  

In 2025, the Colts had one of the NFL’s best kickoff return units. They ranked second in the league with 28.8 yards in kickoff returns. The Colts also did a great job stopping opponents, allowing the lowest punt-return average in the NFL at 6.3 yards.

The Colts were also very accurate on field goals. They ranked second in the NFL with a 94.4% field-goal rate, even though they used three different kickers. Spencer Shrader made 13 of 14 kicks, Blake Grupe made all 11 of his attempts, and Michael Badgley made 10 of 11.

Shrader also had a strong start, winning AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September. He led the NFL with 13 field goals and 51 points during the first month. Those 51 points set a Colts record for the most points by a player in the first four weeks of a season. Later, Grupe made a 60-yard field goal in Week 15, setting the longest field goal in Colts history.

Now that he will be coaching the team from the booth for preseason, let’s hope for his speedy recovery.