Beloved Cleveland Browns offensive line coach Bob Wylie broke his ankle during practice Thursday and underwent surgery.
A team spokesman said Wylie got hurt during Thursday’s workout as the Browns prepared to face the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. There were no immediate details on how the popular Wylie, who is in his second season with Cleveland, was injured.
Wylie is resting at University Hospitals and will likely miss the home finale.
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Wylie was relatively unknown before his appearances on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series this summer made the big-bellied coach a favourite with Browns fans, who loved how he mocked players needing to stretch and how his stomach bounced when he yelled, “set, hut” during drills.
This week, the Browns released a video with Cleveland’s offensive linemen prancing like reindeer pushed Wylie on a blocking sled while dressed as Santa Claus .
On Wednesday, Browns guard Joel Bitonio said his teammates were initially leery of doing the video.
“And then we went out there and filmed it and it’s been a hit,” Bitonio said. “Anything that Bob has done this year I think has been a hit. It just shows, honestly, he’s one of the best human beings I’ve been around. He’s a great coach but what he does off the field — he takes care of the people in the building and he’s just a great dude. So to do something like that and show people kind of a fun side.”
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Wylie had two separate stints with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He served as their offensive line coach in 2007 and 2008 before leaving to join the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He returned to the club in 2014 and coached for three more seasons before he took the job with the Browns in 2017.
— with files from Russ Hobson
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