There were no playoff implications for the Dallas Cowboys (7-9) in Sunday’s regular season finale against the Washington Commanders (11-5). Already playing without CeeDee Lamb and a handful of other stars, the Cowboys started Trey Lance at quarterback.
One of Dallas’ most reliable stars who did play, All-Pro kicker Brandon Aubrey, had a rare miscue early in the second quarter that involved a Cowboys cheerleader.
While kicking off from the 50-yard-line following a Washington penalty enforced after a successful Dallas field goal, Aubrey shanked the kickoff well out of bounds and hit an unsuspecting cheerleader in the back of the head near the 10-yard line.
Commanders punter Tress Way, standing nearby, was among the first people there to check on her.
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders perform during the game
Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images
Moments later, the Fox broadcast camera captured the cheerleader smiling and laughing through tears on the sideline. There was no immediate update available on potential injuries.
The NFL on Fox social media account posted a video of the incident captioned, “Shoutout to this #DallasCowboys Cheerleader for taking the hit like a champ 💪.”
Based on the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders website, the cheerleader is question is a rookie named Michelle, who hails from San Diego, California.
A similar kick-to-the-head incident occurred prior to the Ohio State vs. Tennessee first-round college football playoff game in late December. However, that one happened on ESPN’s “College GameDay” pregame show.
Members of the Ohio State Buckeyes cheer squad were struck by a wildly errant kick by a fan during Pat McAfee’s popular field goal kicking contest.
