It was great to see Dick Vitale back on the sidelines for some of the biggest games of the college basketball season. For now, that will have to come to an end. The ESPN legend announced that his doctor has advised him to rest his voice as he continues chemotherapy.
Vitale wrote a blog for ESPN Front Row in which he explained that this is a good news/bad news situation. Certainly, it stinks that he cannot call games right now. Massachusetts General Hospital throat specialist Dr. Steven Zeitels told Vitale he is dealing with Dysplasia on his vocal cords and that it is not life-threatening.
“I’m not sure exactly how long I will be off the air as a result of this or how many games I will miss,” Dick Vitale wrote. “Dr. Zeitels wants to see me every couple weeks in the New Year to check on my progress. Of course, I am heartbroken that I won’t be immediately sitting courtside doing what I love, yet I’m in this for the long run. I plan to do games when I’m 100 – I need to listen to Dr. Z!”
An extended and unexplained absence would be cause for concern. That is why Vitale wanted to make his decision and the advice of his doctor public. He re-iterated that “Dr. Rick Brown had said I’m cured from melanoma, and they say we are making fantastic progress in my battle with lymphoma.”
Chemotherapy resumed for Dick Vitale just before the start of 2022. On Sunday, Vitale gave his Twitter followers some detail regarding his post-chemotherapy health status. It is clear that the rest is much needed.
All of us at Barrett Sports Media are wishing him a swift recovery. Seeing Dickie V on the sidelines again this season would be the ultimate Dipsy Doo Dunk-a-roo!
