Dick Vitale after a Feb. 2022 hospital discharge.

Veteran ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale has had to take the rest of this season off due to vocal cord dysplasia, separate from the lymphoma he’s also been battling. Vitale underwent vocal cord surgery Tuesday and tweeted about the results, saying that his doctor was pleased with the procedure, but he had to stay in hospital overnight for further evaluation. On Thursday, ESPN PR posted an update from Vitale at their ESPN Front Row site, which confirmed that Vitale has made it home safely and that his post-op evaluation went well.

I was released from Mass General Hospital mid-day Wednesday and am home resting and recovering. I’m experiencing soreness, but I knew that, and it’s nothing that I can’t overcome.

I had to remain overnight for monitoring following surgery on my vocal cords by nationally acclaimed vocal cord specialist Dr. Steven Zeitels. We met again on Wednesday morning for my post-op evaluation, and I will be back in Boston in March for a follow-up to see how I am healing.

Dr. Zeitels communicated that despite a challenging and intense three-hour surgery due to the difficult laryngoscopic exposure, he successfully carried out the procedure to treat a severe form of dysplasia, Carcinoma in Situ on my vocal cords. He achieved his goal and removed the disease with the KTP laser.

As hard as it’s been, resting my voice for the past four weeks was a key in clearing up the inflammation, which allowed him to proceed as planned.

Now, it is mandatory that I continue total voice rest for the next four weeks to help the healing process – doc’s orders. However, he feels optimistic that if I follow his plan (which I will) that he will get me back court side to do what I truly love – talking college hoops for ESPN during the 2022-23 season.

These health issues are obviously challenging for Vitale, and resting one’s voice for so long can’t be easy. But it’s good to hear that the hospital was able to release him and that the post-op evaluation went well. If this all stays on track, it does seem like he’ll be able to call games again for ESPN during the next college basketball season. And Vitale’s many fans would surely love to see that.

[ESPN Front Row]

About Andrew Bucholtz

Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.