Each fall, Kirk Herbstreit is one of the busiest men in America. Herbstreit traverses the United States weekly, balancing out his broadcasting duties for ESPN and Amazon Prime Video.
In order to keep up the pace, Herbstreit has to be healthy. On Friday, the longtime College GameDay analyst revealed during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” that he spent six weeks in bed this offseason due to a serious back issue.
“I was in Las Vegas and my back locked up..
I couldn’t get out of bed and I wasn’t able to walk..
I had a non-invasive procedure and they grabbed a bone spur that was compressing my L5 nerve”@KirkHerbstreit #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/SA8rmS5AUJ
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 14, 2026
‘I couldn’t walk’
After McAfee complimented Herbstreit on his tan and fresh appearance, the 56-year-old broadcaster shared his health plight publicly for the first time.
“I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t leave my house for six weeks,” Herbstreit said.
Herbstreit continued, recalling how he and his wife were in Las Vegas in June for Kenny Chesney’s opening night at The Sphere. The next day, they went to breakfast, and when the former Ohio State quarterback stood up to leave, he was unable to move.
“[My back] locked up,” Herbstreit said, adding that he had to use a wheelchair.
Doctors to the rescue
In order to deal with the problem, Herbstreit enlisted Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s Chief Medical Officer. Once Sills and his team got involved, the extend of the damage was discovered.
“I have so much degenerative stuff, I have stenosis. I didn’t know any of this. I didn’t know any of these words six weeks ago,” Herbstreit said. “I couldn’t get out of the bed or walk for six weeks.”
Dr. Raymond Gardocki, who like Sills is based in Nashville, then performed a non-invasive procedure, during which he “grabbed a bone spur that was compressing my L5 nerve,” Herbstreit said.
“That took the burning sensation out of my right leg,” Herbstreit said. “I had these zingers in my upper quad and upper glute. I just couldn’t walk.”
Finally, Gardocki went back in two weeks later and removed some bone fragments out of the joint and “cleared out the L4 nerve,” which has enabled Herbstreit to get back on his feet.
Business as usual
“I’ve been able to walk here for about a week now. I’m ready to roll now,” Herbstreit said. The father of four said he has been out doing “2-3 miles” per day on the trails the last few days, though he didn’t specify if that was walking, jogging or both.
Either way, it’s good to hear Herbstreit is feeling like himself. It won’t be long before he and his Golden Retriever Peter are on TV multiple times a week.
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