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AFL great James Hird was rushed to hospital and put under general anaesthetic following a health episode when filming Channel Nine’s Footy Classified on Tuesday.
The Essendon legend, 53, was appearing as a panellist when he became distressed due to what has been reported as a ‘piece of dinner stuck in his throat’.
Viewers could hear Hird coughing during the opening stages of the show before he left the studio during the first ad break to vomit.
Despite the scare, the former Bombers captain completed the remainder of the program.
Host Eddie McGuire revealed that Hird had to be put under to remove a blockage in his throat.
‘James did the show and went to emergency,’ McGuire said.
AFL great James Hird was rushed to hospital following a health episode when filming Footy Classified on Tuesday (pictured)
The 53-year-old Bombers legend suffered a throat blockage so severe ‘it was like he was drowning’, according to his co-host Eddie McGuire
‘They gave him general anaesthetic, put a tube down his throat and found a piece of lamb that was apparently blocking his esophagus.
‘It was like he was drowning because the saliva couldn’t get through.
‘Most people would take two months off work. Hirdy finished the show and he’s (already) out of hospital.’
‘He’s a warrior, that guy,’ one insider told News Corp.
Another described it as a ‘super professional performance’.
Remarkably, Hird will film an episode of Footy Furnace on Wednesday for Channel Nine with co-host Jimmy Bartel.
Hird has transitioned into the media following a stint as part-time assistant coach at the GWS Giants.
The two-time AFL premiership winner has also served as the director of coaching at VFL side Port Melbourne.
