San Francisco 49ers

49ers special teamer runs 40 yards into a pile without his helmet

Published Nov. 15, 2016 1:52 p.m. ET

Dieter Kurtenbach

Being a special teams-only guy in the NFL is tough gig — you're usually the last guy to make the roster and you're usually the first guy to get cut.

And if you make it, all you have to do is make tackles against the fastest guys in the league while running full speed down the field, vulnerable to blind-side blocks and looking downright foolish at any moment.

Nick Bellore is the 49ers' special teams specialist, and he's a tough guy.

Sunday provided the perfect evidence to that.

With less than three minutes to play in a game that was well out of the 49ers' reach, Bellore had his helmet ripped off on a punt. Instead of staying out of the fray, he turned around and hauled it 40 yards — he was not going to take a play off.

While Bellore's naked skull didn't make contact with anything on the play, the risk of playing football full speed without a helmet is obvious (there's a massive risk with a helmet!)

We recommend that no one follow Bellore's lead.