Bo Jackson made a career out of shaking off defenders in the NFL and knocking baseballs out of the park in MLB, but he can't shake or knock out a persistent case of hiccups.
Hiccups are caused by a variety of things — taking in too much air, eating fast, drinking carbonated drinks or even stress — but typically they only last for a few irritating moments. For Jackson, those moments have extended to almosta year's worth of misery — even torture, perhaps.
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The Hall of Fame running back was noticeably absent last month from Plainsman Park — home of the Auburn baseball team — for the unveiling of a Frank Thomas statue. Eyebrows were raised when Jackson, a fellow Tigers alum, didn't attend.
On Wednesday, he told "McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning" on Birmingham's WJOX-FM why he was a no-show.
.@CoachHughFreeze & @BoJackson talk @Auburnfootball, transfer portal & more LIVE from the @RegionsTrad! https://t.co/PQ46Ju08YK
— McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning (@macandcube) May 10, 2023
"I wasn't there because of dealing with hiccups," Jackson said. "I've had the hiccups since last July. I'm getting a medical procedure done at the end of this week, I think, to try to remedy it. I've been busy sitting at the doctor's poking me, shining lights down my throat, probing me every way they can to find out why I've got these hiccups. That’s the only reason I wasn’t there."
Jackson and his doctors have been unable to determine a cause, and attempted remedies have not produced a fix. "Bo Knows" was the theme of the famous 1980s Nike campaign featuring Jackson, but ending those spasms of the diaphragm isn't on that list.
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Perhaps Jackson should try this trick: Say out loud the sentence "My name is," followed by your first and last name, while taking a hefty sip in between each word. If that fails, then it might just be a lost cause. Or a newfound way to get information out of someone in interrogation.
