Tom Coughlin recovering after breaking ribs, puncturing lung in bicycle accident

ByChris Mortensen and Adam Schefter ESPN logo
Friday, July 31, 2020

Former New York Giants coach and Jaguars executive Tom Coughlin fractured four ribs, slightly punctured his lung and needed stitches in his head after a bicycle accident last weekend in Jacksonville, Florida, that left him hospitalized for a night, he confirmed to ESPN.

Another man on a racing bike, in the words of Coughlin, "comes out of nowhere and clips the front of my bike." Coughlin, who was Jacksonville's first head coach and general manager, said he thought he was aware of his surroundings, until being blindsided.

Coughlin, 73, first went home before his family convinced him to go to the Baptist Health emergency room, where he underwent X-rays and a CT scan. Doctors told Coughlin he faces a four- to six-week recovery.

Coughlin was Jacksonville's executive vice president of football operations until he was fired by owner Shad Khan last December, two days after the NFL Players Association warned players to be wary of signing with the franchise, citing excessive fines and player grievances.

A two-time Super Bowl winner in his 12 seasons coaching the Giants, Coughlin built the Jaguars from the ground up as its GM/coach, taking Jacksonville to the playoffs four consecutive seasons in the late 1990s and reaching the AFC Championship Game twice.

Information from ESPN's Michael DiRocco was used in this report.