Never forget: kickers are football players, too!
Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates was awkwardly stretching on the sideline in a funky-looking position when ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters decided she had to know what he was doing.
Salters said that he was rolling on a ball to try and loosen up. It looked so funky that she came up and asked if he was OK.
Bates said that he was “fine,” but ESPN’s Joe Buck and Troy Aikman couldn’t help but chuckle and the funny-looking stretch.
Just a few minutes later when the Lions’ drive stalled, Bates came in for a 42-yard field goal and made it look easy. Ironically, the kick helped him pass Jason Hanson for a new franchise record for points in a season.
The internet understandably got a kick out of the unorthodox stretching position, with memes galore all over social media.
What a time to be Jake Bates.