Fans of the NRL are sending their best wishes to Bryan Fletcher after the beloved former player had to be rushed to the hospital from his radio show on Monday afternoon. The 52-year-old is a familiar face on TV with Fox Sports and on radio with SEN, where he co-hosts the afternoon "run home" show alongside Joel Caine.
While on air, Fletcher experienced severe stomach pain, prompting an urgent visit to the hospital. Although he returned to the airwaves on Tuesday afternoon, he did so from home rather than the studio.
Fletcher disclosed that he had passed two kidney stones, describing the pain as "literally like turning on a light switch." He recalled, "And I went, 'Oh, geez' that's not great. And then it just got progressively worse." The show's producer, Alex Molchanoff, rushed Fletcher to the hospital, where he vomited while awaiting treatment.
"He took my car and I just told Alex to floor it," Fletcher recounted, adding, "I was forcing him to get through red lights." He also mentioned an incident at the emergency room: "I threw up everywhere."
Due to concerns over a potential operation, the medical staff initially wouldn't let him drink despite his thirst. Fletcher explained, "After copious amounts of fentanyl (for the pain) that didn't work, they took me in for a scan, a CT scan, and they said I've got kidney stones."
He shared a rather personal experience with a suppository, stating, "I was stuck in this little room to myself… and then bang, I put it in and I was as good as gold. About 11pm that night two little rocks popped out."
Fletcher, who played 125 games with the Roosters and 45 with Souths, was discharged around 2 am on Tuesday. He plans to return to the SEN studio for Wednesday afternoon's show. Fans expressed concern on social media, with messages like, "I hope he's ok," and "Hoping for a speedy recovery Fletch."