ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale underwent successful surgery on his vocal cords Tuesday, he announced on social media.
In a detailed Facebook post, Vitale said that his doctor, throat specialist Steven Zeitels, called the operation “a challenge“ but that after three hours of “intense” surgery, the medical team achieved its goal of treating the dysplasia and ulcerated lesions on the 82-year-old's vocal cords.
Vitale stayed overnight at Massachusetts General Hospital after the arduous operation, which he had previously called his “national championship.” In his Facebook post, the longtime broadcaster was extremely complimentary of Zeitels and his team, saying they were “Awesome Baby, with a Capital A.”
Vitale shared that he will now undergo four weeks of voice rest to assist in the healing process and that his time on social media will be “limited” due to discomfort from the surgery. He did reveal that Zeitels was “optimistic” about a return to calling college basketball games during the 2022–23 season, so long as he adhered to the recovery plan.
Prior to Tuesday's operation Vitale had expressed his hope to being back on the sidelines with ESPN next year. With the surgery now in the rearview mirror, it would seem that he's on the right track.
