Younghoe Koo’s horrific botched field goal accidentally saved a fan’s life

Younghoe Koo turned in the worst field goal attempt of the 2025 NFL season. In doing so, he accidentally played a role in saving a fan’s life.

Mark Toothaker, a thoroughbred trainer from Lexington, Ky., was watching “Monday Night Football” on Dec. 1, 2025 when Koo infamously whiffed on a field goal try during the New York Giants’ 33-15 loss to the New England Patriots. Toothaker laughed so hard at the kick attempt that he had a seizure, which he compared to being “electrocuted.”

A CT scan revealed that the 59-year-old had a tumor the size of a tennis ball on the left side of his brain, though he had not displayed any symptoms. It was surgically removed and found to be benign.

Toothaker thinks Koo helped save his life, because the seizure could have happened at another time when it would have been more dangerous to himself or others.

“(The) kicker saved my life because it could’ve happened any other time,” Toothaker told Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press. “I wholeheartedly believe I was in the right spot at the right time, and he was the trigger for that happening. It was a miracle.”

Toothaker said he would love to take Koo to the Kentucky Derby, but the kicker did not respond to the AP’s requests for comment. Considering he lost his job after the kick, it’s probably not necessarily something he is looking to relive.

Koo has let to land a new kicking job since the Giants released him. Presumably, he will keep himself ready for whenever an NFL team inevitably needs to bring in a veteran kicker for a short-term fix.