If I were to tell you that ESPN national NFL reporter Lindsey Thiry went viral while reporting live from Los Angeles Rams training camp, you’d probably assume it’s because she broke the news that Aaron Donald ended his NFL retirement to rejoin the Rams.
Good, logical guess, but you’d be dead wrong.
It’s somehow even better than you imagined.
Thiry was reporting on Donald, who officially worked out for the Rams this week, but she went viral because she had to fight for her life against a humongous flying insect.
“Of course the workout went well for Aaron Donald. He’s Aaron Donald,” Molly McGrath said to Thiry from the ESPN NFL Live studio. “He’s a freak athlete. And speaking of freak athletes, Lindsey, we caught something on camera as you were getting ready for your live hit.”
We were then treated to footage of Thiry swatting at the bug with her microphone. It must be how helpless opposing quarterbacks felt when Donald rushed the pocket. Thiry impressively fended it off and hilariously squealed, “I got it!” The ASMR crowd definitely loved the satisfying thud when Thiry’s microphone made contact with the bug.
ESPN’s @LindseyThiry displayed an array of moves today at training camp. pic.twitter.com/dL8x5zGDHi
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 7, 2026
While watching the footage, McGrath gave an exceptional narration on par with all your favorite local news clips: “Oh! Oh! That is huge — what is that? A wasp?”
“You guys! It was the biggest bug I have ever seen,” Thiry said. “I made contact, Molly. Hand-eye coordination.”
Thiry later posted on X (formerly Twitter), “It was a really big bug [laughing-crying emoji, grinning face with sweat bead emoji].”
We still have to suffer through the final slog of training camp and the preseason before the 2026 NFL season kicks off in Seattle on Sept. 9, but Thiry is already in peak midseason form.
About Megan Armstrong
Since first getting published as a student by the Kansas City Star in 2013, Megan Armstrong has gone wherever curiosity and stories have taken her, specializing in sports, media, music, and culture coverage. She also has an extensive background in interviewing and profiling public figures. Her work has appeared in Billboard, Boardroom, Bleacher Report, Esquire, GQ, GRAMMY.com, NYLON, Newsweek, Teen Vogue, The Hollywood Reporter, UPROXX, and elsewhere.