Jim Zorn once broke a woman’s nose with a football. And his first thought was predictable for a quarterback and eventual coach.
“Catch the ball,” he remembered thinking.
Zorn relayed this story at the Redskins’ annual Welcome Home Luncheon Wednesday.
So here’s the tale: Zorn was appearing at an NFL alumni function in which they played co-ed flag football. Two women on his team were Seattle Seahawk cheerleaders.
Before we continue, it’s important to note Zorn’s competitive side.
“I like to win,” he told the crowd.
So we move forward. They reach the end of a close game and they’re driving for a score. He drew a play up in the dirt for this “beautiful cheerleader.” She was supposed to go out for a pass, come in over the middle and he would throw her the ball.
“She goes out and turns in and I could swear I did not throw that hard,” he said.
He did. The ball hit her square in the nose; blood was everywhere.
She hit the ground, with Zorn partly annoyed by the miss.
“She recovered [eventually] and we had a good laugh about it,” he said.
To make amends, he punctuated the story by having a woman from the crowd catch a pass from him. The pregnant Redskins fan, in a Chris Cooley jersey, caught the much-softer thrown ball.
