Sadly, it's an expression we now hear on a regular basis when watching televised sports.
"You might want to look away from your screen. ... That's an injury so gruesome, we're choosing not to show it again."
Any football fan from the 1980s remembers the exact moment when that warning entered the mainstream. A broken leg so horrifying that four decades later many fans remember exactly where they were when they saw it.
Nov. 18, 1985. Joe Theismann. Lawrence Taylor.
It happened on "Monday Night Football" in the era when everyone watched "MNF." It was on ABC in the early days of cable, and there weren't hundreds of channels, streaming services or mobile phones to compete for eyeballs.
If you were a sports fan, and you were home, chances are you were watching the New York Giants travel to Washington to face their NFC East rivals in a Week 11 game with playoff implications.
In the second quarter at RFK Stadium, Washington ran a flea flicker and running back John Riggins tossed the ball back to Theismann, who was immediately pressured by Harry Carson and then swarmed from behind by Taylor as he attempted to pass.
When he was taken to the ground, Theismann's right leg was shattered as he suffered a compound fracture to both his tibia and fibula.
The sight of Taylor frantically waving to the Washington sideline was the first sign a serious injury had occurred, and then the Hall of Fame linebacker put both his hands to his head in a moment of disbelief.
"Quickly, Lawrence Taylor was up, saying Theismann was hurt, and I don't believe Lawrence Taylor would have reacted that way unless Theismann was really hurt," ABC's Frank Gifford told the "MNF" audience.
It ended up being the final play of Theismann's career, and going down in history as the awful injury others would be compared to for decades.
In a poll on ESPN.com's Page 2 in the early 2000s, the injury was voted as the most shocking moment in football history.
Theismann, who was the 1983 NFL MVP, a two-time Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl champion and went on to become a broadcaster in the "MNF" booth himself, became more synonymous with the injury than anything else that happened during his career.
The play was even referenced in an episode of "The Simpsons" and the opening scene of the Oscar-winning film "The Blind Side."
Theismann often talks openly about the injury, and he has regularly signed autographs on tickets and photos from that night. The most valuable collectible items include signatures from both Theismann and Taylor, making the pair an unlikely duo of co-signers from an unfortunate moment.
The rival quarterback and linebacker certainly rank high on the list of two athletes linked to one indelible moment that became collectible.
Here are four other pairings who share similar connections — often with a moment that was highly painful for one of them.
1. Mookie Wilson and Bill Buckner
The Moment: Oct. 25, 1986, Game 6 of the World Series: Wilson hit a "slow roller" down the first-base line that rolled through Buckner's legs, allowing the Mets to make a remarkable comeback in a 6-5 victory. The Mets would go on to win the series in seven.
Population of PSA-graded tickets: 245
Population of PSA-graded autographed tickets: 54
2. Bo Jackson and Brian Bosworth
The Moment: Nov. 30, 1987, Bo flattens Boz: In an "MNF" showdown in Seattle between two of the most hyped athletes of the late 1980s, the Raiders' Bo Jackson put on a show, running for 221 yards and three TDs. But the TD everyone remembers is Jackson's short run in which he met Bosworth at the 2-yard line and bulled his way into the end zone.
Population of PSA-graded tickets: 10
Population of PSA-graded autographed tickets: 8
3. Nolan Ryan and Robin Ventura
The Moment: Aug. 4, 1993, Don't mess with the Ryan Express: Still throwing gas for Texas at age 46, Ryan hit Ventura with a pitch in the upper right arm. The 26-year-old Ventura charged the mound and ended up in one of the viral highlights of the 1990s as Ryan put the White Sox hitter in a headlock and pummeled him as the benches cleared. Photos of the fight signed by both men are a regular site at collectible shows.
Population of PSA-graded tickets: 48
Population of PSA-graded autographed tickets: 34
4. Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson
The Moment: June 28, 1997, The Bite: In a bizarre incident, even by boxing standards, Mike Tyson bit reigning heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield on the ear and was immediately disqualified from their WBA heavyweight championship bout in Las Vegas.
Population of PSA-graded tickets: 75
Population of PSA-graded autographed tickets: 17
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Kevin Jackson is the chief content officer for cllct. He spent 25 years at ESPN Digital Media, where he was the founding editor of Page 2, and nearly four years as the Executive Director for Digital Content at FOX Sports.