Fears for Rex Hunt's health after terrifying late-night medical emergency
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Iconic sports presenter and AFL legend Rex Hunt has been hospitalised following a medical incident last week.
According to a report by The Herald Sun, the 73-year-old was driving on the Princes Freeway in Victoria headed to Geelong past 2 am when he pulled over and called for police assistance.
State police confirmed the development in a statement: ‘Police received a report of an incident at a Little River service station early Tuesday morning, 17 January.’
‘Officers attended and spoke to a 73-year-old man at about 2.15 am. He was taken to the hospital for assessment. There were no injuries reported.’
Hunt was taken to a hospital in Geelong.
It remains unclear what the nature of Hunt’s medical incident was, though it is said he is still receiving medical attention almost a week later.
Hunt’s family and friends are still ‘concerned and supporting him’ as he recovers from the incident.
John Locco, a longtime friend and former mayor of Brighton, said that many who look up to Hunt are worried about his condition.
‘He can count on our support, affection, and friendship,’ he said.
Many supporters took to social media to share their well-wishes for Hunt.
‘Good luck Rexie, (I) hope you have a speedy recovery,’ one person wrote.
‘Get well soon Rex, the best footy commentator ever yibbida-yibbida,’ another added, throwing in an iconic line of his.
The news of his emergency has no doubt left a substantial number of Melbournians in shock. Hunt has long been a hero for his continued advocacy for mental health and well-being, especially within the AFL community.
In a candid interview with 7NEWS, he opened up about the darkness he experienced throughout his football career and the obstacles he had to overcome to get the help he needed.
'I was gone ... despite the clown of the circus having a rubber nose, behind the makeup and rubber nose may well be the loneliest person in the world,’ he said.
Hunt also made headlines when he confronted a thief who tried to snatch a journalist's bag at a 2021 Melbourne Boxing match.
Back in July of 2022, he was also involved in a road rage incident when he was caught on film wielding a gardening tool in an altercation.
Before his storied career as a sports presenter, Hunt joined Victoria Police in 1966 as a cadet and retired as a sergeant in 1979.
More notably, Hunt played in over 200 footy matches between 1968 and 1978, according to Fox Sports.
His retirement from footy then led to a decades-long career as a commentator and panellist for various sports programs on radio and television.
In 2021, Hunt reportedly had a falling out with 3AW radio network executives after he was called up over a missed ad break — and proceeded to launch an on-air rant.
‘If I have to worry about lightweights, after me building the foundation for most of you people, I'll just go fishing,’ he said in what would be his last episode on Footy Nightline.
He wasn’t bluffing on that last bit too: he was the host of a fishing show aptly named Rex Hunt’s Fishing Adventure that ran from 1991-2004!
On that note, we do hope Hunt makes a full recovery from this medical incident and goes on to more adventures, fishing-related or otherwise.
So, what do you think of this concerning news about Rex Hunt? Tell us your thoughts below.
According to a report by The Herald Sun, the 73-year-old was driving on the Princes Freeway in Victoria headed to Geelong past 2 am when he pulled over and called for police assistance.
State police confirmed the development in a statement: ‘Police received a report of an incident at a Little River service station early Tuesday morning, 17 January.’
‘Officers attended and spoke to a 73-year-old man at about 2.15 am. He was taken to the hospital for assessment. There were no injuries reported.’
Hunt was taken to a hospital in Geelong.
It remains unclear what the nature of Hunt’s medical incident was, though it is said he is still receiving medical attention almost a week later.
Hunt’s family and friends are still ‘concerned and supporting him’ as he recovers from the incident.
Rex Hunt is known for his on-air presence as a sports commentator and his background playing footy. Image Credit: YouTube/bakerm8
John Locco, a longtime friend and former mayor of Brighton, said that many who look up to Hunt are worried about his condition.
‘He can count on our support, affection, and friendship,’ he said.
Many supporters took to social media to share their well-wishes for Hunt.
‘Good luck Rexie, (I) hope you have a speedy recovery,’ one person wrote.
‘Get well soon Rex, the best footy commentator ever yibbida-yibbida,’ another added, throwing in an iconic line of his.
The news of his emergency has no doubt left a substantial number of Melbournians in shock. Hunt has long been a hero for his continued advocacy for mental health and well-being, especially within the AFL community.
In a candid interview with 7NEWS, he opened up about the darkness he experienced throughout his football career and the obstacles he had to overcome to get the help he needed.
'I was gone ... despite the clown of the circus having a rubber nose, behind the makeup and rubber nose may well be the loneliest person in the world,’ he said.
Hunt also made headlines when he confronted a thief who tried to snatch a journalist's bag at a 2021 Melbourne Boxing match.
Back in July of 2022, he was also involved in a road rage incident when he was caught on film wielding a gardening tool in an altercation.
Footy aside, Hunt is also known as the host of a longtime fishing show. Image Credit: Rex Hunt Fishing Adventures
Before his storied career as a sports presenter, Hunt joined Victoria Police in 1966 as a cadet and retired as a sergeant in 1979.
More notably, Hunt played in over 200 footy matches between 1968 and 1978, according to Fox Sports.
His retirement from footy then led to a decades-long career as a commentator and panellist for various sports programs on radio and television.
In 2021, Hunt reportedly had a falling out with 3AW radio network executives after he was called up over a missed ad break — and proceeded to launch an on-air rant.
‘If I have to worry about lightweights, after me building the foundation for most of you people, I'll just go fishing,’ he said in what would be his last episode on Footy Nightline.
He wasn’t bluffing on that last bit too: he was the host of a fishing show aptly named Rex Hunt’s Fishing Adventure that ran from 1991-2004!
On that note, we do hope Hunt makes a full recovery from this medical incident and goes on to more adventures, fishing-related or otherwise.
So, what do you think of this concerning news about Rex Hunt? Tell us your thoughts below.
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