The Atlanta Hawk’s play-by-play announcer suffered a medical emergency live on air.
Announcer Bob Rathburn, while calling the Atlanta Hawk’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, started to convulse ultimately losing consciousness while the cameras were rolling.
Per the New York Post, the Hawks have announced Rathburn is now in stable condition and was just “dehydrated.”
WATCH:
Hawks Announcer Bob Rathbun suffering medical emergency. Pray for him. pic.twitter.com/PXO0ePR9Ny
— Bacon, Grits, Eggs (@reddawg77089) December 6, 2022
The NBA has a strict COVID-19 vaccine policy that includes the requirement that court-side announcers be vaccinated.
Per ESPN:
The NBA has set an Oct. 1 deadline for team personnel to be fully vaccinated and left open the possibility that it could require a booster shot at a later date, according to the memo.
The mandate applies to all personnel who will work near the court, including broadcasters, scoreboard operators, photographers and security personnel. Also required are all back-of-house operations, including locker room attendants, medical staff, equipment managers, and food and beverage handlers and providers.
Last year, the Atlanta Hawks made headlines after the Hawks guard Brandon Goodwin stated the vaccine ended his season.
Goodwin went on a Twitch stream and stated that after he got vaccinated, he was diagnosed with blood clots shortly after.
Atlanta Hawks guard Brandon Goodwin claims COVID-19 vaccine gave him blood clots https://t.co/SajB5XsKYn
— RIF ZAFZAFI (@7madrif) December 4, 2022