'SO MANY QUESTIONS'
Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen left stunned on live TV after realizing Detroit once had real lion mascot on NFL field
Olsen was on his final Fox Sports broadcast before making way for Tom Brady
FOX Sports announcing duo Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen have been left stunned by a forgotten NFL tradition.
The pair were speechless to learn the Detroit Lions once brought a real-life big cat onto the field as a mascot.
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Burkhardt and Olsen were on announcing duties for the NFC Championship game between Detroit and the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
It was former NFL star Olsen's final game in the Fox booth ahead of Tom Brady's high-profile arrival at the network next season.
And the tight end couldn't believe Detroit brought a real lion with them for a matchup against the 49ers in 1983.
Footage from the game 40 years ago showed a huge male lion prowling the sideline ahead of the playoff contest.
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"There is a real lion on the field, which I have a lot of questions about that", said Burkhardt as the footage played.
"Question A, how did they travel? And question B, why was there a real lion there?!"
Olsen replied, "It wasn't a home game, they brought him from Detroit.
"Or maybe they sourced one from here in California? I think there's a lot of unknowns there."
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One fan laughed at the revelation on X, "A lion? Like the animal? And they were playing a game? I’m just trying to understand here…"
"Detroit could use a real Lion playing linebacker right about now," another joked.
"This is honestly so crazy to me," a third added.
Olsen made a splash during Sunday's broadcast as some fans begged Fox to keep him in the booth.
Brady signed a 10-year, $375 million deal with the network in the summer of 2022.
He is slated to replace Olsen alongside Burkhardt in primetime games next season.