Lisa Guerrero’s “Monday Night Football” nightmare was somehow much worse than most knew.
Guerrero revealed to The Post’s Andrew Marchand in 2021 that she dealt with suicidal thoughts after she faced a slew of ridicule in her one season on the “MNF” sidelines in 2003. Now, in a new memoir, entitled “Warrior,” the 58-year-old revealed that she had a miscarriage during one of the games near the end of that season.
“People who knew what was going on with [my boss] Freddie (Gaudelli) and who read how I was being treated in the media already looked at me with such pity,” Guerrero told PEOPLE. “I was a shell of myself. And I felt such shame and embarrassment that the last thing I was going to say is, ‘Oh, and by the way, I just had a miscarriage.’ Most of my best friends will learn about it by reading the book.”
“I don’t blame one person for this. The miscarriage wasn’t because of Freddie, and it wasn’t because of one radio talk show host or one bad column. It was a culmination of the entire season of negativity and cruelty. It was really cruel.”
Gaudelli has spent the past 33 seasons executive producing NFL games. He worked with Guerrero at ABC. He left for the “Sunday Night Football” job at NBC in 2006, and also oversaw Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” package this season. Earlier this month, Peter King reported that Gaudelli is stepping aside into a “less frenetic” executive producing role with NBC and Amazon.
Guerrero told PEOPLE that Gaudelli berated her over broadcasting errors, which “obliterated all other [parts] of my life — a great job, lots of money, and a gorgeous fiancé.}
Gaudelli did not agree with Guerrero’s assessment of how he treated her.
“I always tried to be Lisa’s biggest advocate, starting from the moment that I hired her,” Gaudelli told The Post. “Her memory of that season and mine are quite different. This is the first time I’m learning of her pregnancy, and I’m sorry that she struggled through that difficult time without the full support of the team surrounding her.
“I unequivocally disagree with Lisa’s account of the nature of my interactions with her. That’s not how I recall our time together during her tenure at MNF, and it makes me very sad.”
In her interview with PEOPLE, Guerrero described the moment she knew she had a miscarriage.
“I pushed through and did my reports,” Guerrero said. “When I felt a dampness between my legs, I thought, ‘Oh, I got my period.’ And then I remembered I was pregnant. I was having a miscarriage! I could feel blood leaking. The officials’ bathroom was in the tunnel behind me. ‘I’m going to the bathroom,’ I told my assistant, whose job was to race around the field with me. He looked at me as if I were insane. ‘They’re about to throw to you.’
“I delivered my live report. I was dizzy and nauseated but reminded myself to stand up straight. During our Wednesday phone calls, Freddie would ream me out for bad posture. The pain was excruciating. I heard myself mispronounce a player’s name and knew I’d hear about it later. As soon as I finished, I raced off to interview a coach. Then I headed to the bathroom. As I sat on the toilet, I couldn’t believe the blood pouring out of me. It had soaked through my pants. I shoved a bunch of paper towels in my underwear.”
She said she kept the ordeal a secret as she flew back home.
“It never occurred to me to tell anyone,” she continued. “It never occurred to me that maybe I should have gone to a hospital or, at the very least, sat out the rest of the game. The only thought that crossed my mind was that I could get through the rest of the game as long as I buttoned up my long winter coat. That way, no one would see the blood. It was as if I were on autopilot. Get back on the sideline. Interview the coach. Listen to Freddie’s directions.
“When the game ended, I was supposed to go to the production truck to talk to Freddie. Instead, I headed to the plane. In the bathroom [on board], I changed clothes, and dumped my underwear and pants in the garbage can. I looked into the mirror and didn’t recognize the pale, gaunt, scared, and so very tired woman who stared back at me.”