NFL Network Reporter Kim Jones Suffered a Life-Threatening Heart Problem Right Before She Went on Camera
NFL Network reporter Kim Jones has been a key — and underrated — sports figure over the last two decades.
Jones rose to prominence interviewing Derek Jeter and teammates on the New York Yankees as a sideline reporter. Since 2012, Jones has played a pivotal role on the league-owned NFL Network as a sideline reporter and occasional co-host.
In November 2018, Jones traveled to Maryland so she could report on Alex Smith and the Washington Redskins. Jones could have tragically died of a heart problem right before she went on camera.
Kim Jones is a veteran baseball and football reporter
Originally from Dallastown, Penn., Kim Jones stayed close to home and attended Penn State in the early 1990ss.
A few years later, Jones began covering the New York Giants for The Star-Ledger (N.J.) and worked for WFAN, the legendary sports radio station. Jones instantly became a notable figure in 2005 when she joined the YES Network as the Yankees’ sideline reporter.
For seven seasons, Jones reported on the latest controversies involving Alex Rodriguez, the rise of top prospects like Joba Chamberlain, and the Yankees’ constant pursuit of a World Series victory.
After not renewing with the YES Network in 2012, Jones signed a full-time contract to work at NFL Network.
Jones had a heart problem in November 2018
When Kim Jones arrived at the Washington Redskins’ practice on Nov. 15, 2018, she was expecting to file some reports and have a normal day.
No one could have predicted what happened later that day. As Jones walked outside to prepare for a live segment, she tripped and felt her neck tingling.
Jones moved back inside, and Redskins employees called an ambulance. Emergency personnel at the Inova Heart and Vascular Institute in Falls Church, Va., discovered Jones suffered an aortic dissection, or a tear in an artery that carries blood out of the heart.
Jones had surgery there, and spent two weeks in the hospital recovering from the incident. Jones reflected on that frightening moment in a January 2019 interview with Mike Francesa on WFAN.
The Washington Post transcribed Jones’ emotional description of the experience.
“There are many, many, many heroes. The Redskins started it off. Their Dr. [Robin] West, their team physician, I will always be grateful to her. Tony Wyllie in PR. Daniel Snyder’s wife came to visit me in the hospital. It’s a wonderful story, and then my luck has continued. I was incredibly lucky.”
The Today Show interviewed Jones about the incident in February 2019.
Kim Jones has had no public problems since then
As of January 2021, Kim Jones has had no further incidents since being rushed to the hospital over two years ago.
Jones has remained an invaluable part of NFL Network’s coverage, both as an analyst and gameday reporter. When she isn’t at stadiums or practices, Jones has also returned to WFAN as an occasional guest host.
Jones has a bright future ahead at NFL Network. With possible changes coming to the NFL’s TV deals and broadcast teams, it will be interesting to see if Jones becomes a sideline reporter again in the future.
