Dick Vitale reveals he's home from hospital after recent in-home accident

ESPN’s Dick Vitale hit a setback a little more than a week from his planned return to the airwaves, thanks to an accident he suffered in his home in Florida late this week.

The good news is Vitale has now been released from the hospital following that hiccup, he announced Sunday afternoon.

“Sweet home – nothing like home!” Vitale wrote on Twitter. “Just was released from the hospital – THANKS to ALL at the Sarasota Memorial Hospital. The medical staff – nurses plus all those that played a role in getting me to recover from what was ailing me after an accident at my home on Friday.”

Dick Vitale had planned to return to broadcasting following a long bout with cancer, but his recent accident could shelve those plans at least temporarily.

He had been expected to call the Duke vs. Wake Forest game on Saturday, Jan. 25. However, following his in-home accident, Vitale released a statement noting his return would be delayed indefinitely.

“I’m sorry to have to share the disappointing news that I won’t be able to call the Duke-Wake Forest game next weekend,” Dick Vitale wrote on Saturday. “Unrelated to any of my cancer scares, I had an accident at my home in Florida, and that has created some new health challenges and near-term physical limitations for me.

“I’m devastated that I won’t be courtside with my ESPN buddy Dave O’Brien and with all the players and fans, especially because of the overwhelming response I received when news of my planned return was announced. I was anxiously awaiting the chance to feel the excitement and energy of a college basketball environment for the first time in nearly two years.”

Dick Vitale previously revealed his doctor had medically cleared him to return to calling games on Jan. 8 after he was declared “cancer-free” for the fifth time following a lengthy battle with lymph node cancer. Vitale has battled four different types of cancer in the past three and a half years.

There is currently no timetable for when Dick Vitale will be able to return to calling games, but he is expected to make a full recovery.

“I’m not exactly sure when that will be,” he said in Saturday’s statement. “Yet I’m expected to make a full recovery and will provide updates when I have more information.”

The 85-year-old Vitale has been working his way back to calling college basketball games for ESPN since stepping away prior to the 2023-24 season, what would’ve been his 45th season, after he was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer in July 2023. After beating that, Vitale was later diagnosed with lymph node cancer in June 2024. It was Vitale’s fifth fight with cancer since 2021 after previously recovering from battles with lymphoma and melanoma.

On3’s Matt Connolly also contributed to this report.