KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony
Gonzalez crashed into a sideline photographer and knocked him
unconscious during a Nov. 11 game at San Francisco.
It may turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to
freelance photographer Mickey Pflegler.
Gonzalez was shoved out of bounds by a linebacker. He smashed
into Pflegler, sending the 51-year-old photographer, laden with
cameras, into a seizure.
Pflegler was taken to a hospital, where doctors found no serious
injuries. But because of the seizure, they ran a brain scan.
"Something showed up, and they weren't sure what it was. But
the doctors were concerned enough to check me into the hospital and
do an MRI the next day," Pflegler said from his San Francisco
home.
That test revealed a brain tumor. Doctors did not describe the
size of the tumor, "but it looks pretty big," he said. He will
have a biopsy Nov. 30 to see whether it is malign.
"The approach I'm taking is, I'm a believer things happen for a
reason, and this looks like a good reason," he said. "This
happened so I'd get that scan and find it, and hopefully it's at an
early stage."
Gonzalez was troubled from the moment he hit Pflegler.
"He had this dazed look," Gonzalez recalled. "He started
shaking. I was still trying to talk to him, `Are you all right? Are
you all right?' And he didn't answer me. I've hit people on the
sideline before, and usually they get right up. I was expecting him
to get up, and I was going to help him up. But I looked at his
eyes, and they were rolled back. The next thing I know, the ref is
pulling me away, saying I needed to get to the huddle."
Gonzalez was bothered during the rest of the Chiefs' 21-7 loss
and on the flight home. He instructed his California assistant,
Denise White, to call the hospital.
"You start second-guessing yourself," Gonzalez said. "Maybe I
could have avoided him or tried to fall to the side. Now he's in
the hospital."
When Pflegler arrived home from the hospital, a bouquet and a
note from Gonzalez was waiting: "I am so sorry about our
unfortunate meeting. I truly hope you are OK and doing well. Please
keep us updated on your condition."
On Tuesday night, Gonzalez was stunned to hear about the brain
tumor.
"I definitely believe in a higher power, which is God, and
everything happens for a reason," said Gonzalez. "I don't know if
I saved his life. They haven't even done the biopsy. Hopefully,
it's nothing."
Gonzalez tried to contact Pflegler last week.
"I tried calling him and left messages. But his voice mail was
filled," Gonzalez said. "I sent him a football, saying I was
sorry. Words can't describe how I felt. Running into him was a
blessing in disguise."
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