Former Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit transitioned into a broadcasting career soon after his college game days were over in 1995. Decades into his broadcasting career, the former Ohio State Buckeyes QB has been dropping insights on football while keeping his personal life private. But recently, he revealed a terrifying medical concern that he underwent a few weeks back.

“I’ve had a few lower back things that got an epidural kind of good to go,” Herbstreit said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I was out in Las Vegas for Kenny’s opening night at the Sphere and just went to breakfast with Alli [Alison Herbstreit]. I got up from breakfast, couldn’t walk, just locked up, wheelchair. So I was on a boat. Basically, Dr. Sills, who’s the NFL Chief Medical Officer. He luckily lives in Nashville, and he and his team were trying to figure out because I have so much degenerative stuff, and I have stenosis.

“I didn’t know any of this. I didn’t know any of these words, by the way, six weeks ago, and I couldn’t leave. I couldn’t get out of bed or walk for six weeks… I had these just zingers in my kind of my upper quad in my upper glue just couldn’t walk… I’ve been able to walk here for about a week now. So ready to roll now. Back out in the trails.”

According to the doctors, a bone spur was pressing directly against his L5 nerve root, located in the lumbar spine. It causes a condition called L5 radiculopathy, which compresses the nerve, leading to shooting pain down the outer leg, numbness in the top of the foot, and potential weakness in lifting the big toe or ankle.

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Kirk Herbstreit experienced the pain firsthand and underwent a quick, non-invasive surgical procedure to remove the bone spur and relieve the compressed nerve. As things stand, Herbstreit is walking without any complications and appears quite excited to resume his duties for ESPN.

The 56-year-old joined the channel in 1995 and started as a sideline reporter. His first assignment for the NFL came in 2020.

Herbstreit made his live NFL broadcasting debut on September 14, 2020, to call the Monday Night game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants. Following this broadcast, ESPN hired Herbstreit for select NFL game assignments.

However, in 2022, Herbstreit signed a five-year, $10 M-plus contract to become a full-time NFL game analyst. He was paired with legendary play-by-play announcer Al Michaels to navigate a premier broadcast booth for Amazon Prime Video’s exclusive Thursday Night Football package, a role he has held ever since.