CLEVELAND — Long-time sports commentator Tony Rizzo returned to the ESPN Cleveland airwaves on Monday, telling listeners he suffered a major heart attack about two weeks ago and survived only because he rushed to the hospital.
“I’m lucky to be alive,” the 63-year-old host said on his first day back. “Had I waited about 45 minutes, I would have died.”
Rizzo explained that the episode began shortly after he delivered bagels to his mother in Middleburg Heights. He arrived home around 11:30 a.m. when his chest suddenly “seized up,” leaving him unable to breathe. Realizing the severity of the pain, he immediately sought medical help.
“I was really scared. I had never felt like that before in my life,” he told his audience, adding that instinct—and what he called “the good Lord”—urged him to get to a hospital without delay.
A fixture in Cleveland sports media since the 1990s, Rizzo joined ESPN Cleveland in 2012. His daily program regularly features discussions about the Cavaliers, Browns and Guardians, along with interviews with national figures such as ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst.
Rizzo’s abrupt absence had prompted concern among listeners. On Monday, many expressed relief on social media after hearing the veteran broadcaster back on the microphone, sharing details of his health scare and recovery.
Source: Hoops Wire
