Dick Vitale was set to return to college basketball broadcasting next week after a multi-year battle with cancer. Now you will have to wait a little longer.
ESPN issued a statement from Vitale on Saturday explaining that an accident at his home in Florida had left him with “new health problems and short-term physical limitations”, preventing him from returning. Previously, the 85-year-old was scheduled to call a game between Duke and Wake Forest next Saturday.
Vitale’s full statement:
“I regret to share the disappointing news that I will not be able to call the Duke-Wake Forest game next weekend. Unrelated to any of my cancer scares, I was in an accident at my home in Florida, and that has created some new health challenges and short-term physical limitations for me. I am devastated to not be able to be on the court with my ESPN friend Dave O’Brien and all the players and fans, especially with the overwhelming response I received when the news broke. of my planned return was I announced that I was eagerly awaiting the opportunity to feel the excitement and energy of a college basketball environment for the first time in almost two years.
“Now I will have to wait a little longer. I’m not sure exactly when that will be, but I am expected to make a full recovery and I will provide updates when I have more information. Despite this latest setback, I feel blessed to have the support of my family, friends and ESPN teammates. I’m a lucky guy and like I said before, I’ll continue to do whatever it takes to get back to the game I love. In the meantime, I have to say “Go Irish” on Mondays. night! Love to all.”
It has been nearly two years since Vitale last called a college basketball game, the most recent being the international broadcast of the 2023 national championship game between UConn and San Diego State.
He was initially diagnosed with melanoma in the summer of 2021, with a subsequent diagnosis of lymphoma months later. After returning in the fall of 2021, Vitale was again forced away to undergo surgery on his vocal cords.
Vitale confirmed in the summer of 2023 that the cancer had reached his vocal cords and then his lymph nodes, meaning he has had to fight four types of cancer in four years. After undergoing radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and more surgeries, Vitale finally announced she was cancer-free earlier this month.
ESPN did not specify when Vitale might make his actual return.