Former two-sport superstar athlete Bo Jackson admitted he’s been suffering from hiccups for almost a year and has tried all types of remedies, including smelling the ass of a porcupine.
Since last July the former NFL Pro Bowl running back and MLB All-Star has been suffering with hiccups and he will now undergo a medical procedure to relieve him of the issue.
The hiccups caused Jackson to miss the unveiling of fellow Auburn Tigers alumnus Frank Thomas’ baseball statue outside the school’s baseball stadium last month.
“I wasn’t there because I’ve been dealing with hiccups,” the former Tigers superstar athlete said. “I’ve had the hiccups since last July.”
Jackson was a guest on on Alabama local radio show “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning,” when he revealed he’d been suffering.
“I have done everything,” Jackson said. “Scare me, drink water upside down, smell an ass of a porcupine. It doesn’t work!”
What Are Hiccups?
According to the Mayo Clinic, hiccups are repeated spasms or sudden movements of the diaphragm that you can’t control. A spasm in your diaphragm causes your vocal cords to suddenly close, producing a “hic” sound.
We’ve all suffered from hiccups, and they can be very frustrating. Imagine dealing with it for almost a year?
Common causes of hiccups include: eating a large meal, drinking alcoholic or carbonated beverages, or getting excited suddenly. Hiccups may also be a sign of an underlying medical issue.
Hopefully it’s not the latter for Jackson, though he admitted more tests and a procedure will be done.
“I’m getting a medical procedure done the end of this week, I think, to try to remedy it. I’m busy at the hospital, sitting up with doctors, poking me and shining lights down my throat and probing me every way they can to find out why I got these hiccups,” said Jackson.
Bo Jackson Was A Superstar
A two-sport star in college at Auburn, Jackson won the 1985 Heisman Trophy and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1986 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but refused to play for them. He instead opted to play for the defending World Series Champion Kansas City Royals, who selected him in the fourth round.
Jackson eventually played in the NFL for the Raiders and became the only athlete in history to be named both an MLB All-Star (1989) and NFL Pro Bowl player (1990).
He became a household name through Nike’s “Bo Knows” advertising campaign. The series of ads starred Jackson alongside Rock and Roll Hall of Fame musician Bo Diddley, and other star athletes, including Andre Agassi and Wayne Gretzky, while promoting a cross-training shoe named for Jackson.
A devastating hip injury robbed Jackson of what might have been a Pro Hall of Fame football career. But he did dazzle and awe us at his peak. When you tuned in to a Jackson game on the diamond or gridiron you never knew what you were going to get, but there was always the possibility of greatness.
