Every great and not-so-great sporting memory in Cleveland has been covered by one man, Tony Rizzo, over his three-decade-long broadcasting career. Rizzo has been away from ESPN Cleveland for a fortnight, and when he finally returned on Monday, he revealed the frightening reason behind his sudden absence.

“I got bagels for my mom. I drove them out to Middleburg Heights, and I came home,” said Rizzo on ESPN Cleveland. “I got back to my home at 11:30 and my chest seized up, and I couldn’t breathe. I had a heart attack, a major heart attack. I knew something was really wrong. Because I’d never felt like that before in my life. I couldn’t breathe, chest burning. Knew something was really, really wrong. I had never felt like that in my life. And I was really scared, really scared.”

Rizzo has anchored the Cleveland sports radio market for over three decades. He started in the Cleveland sports broadcasting space as an overnight board operator at an AM radio station before moving to Majic 105.7 – Cleveland, where he eventually started working the morning show. Then had jobs at WHK, working with legendary Cleveland broadcaster Les Levine, and at FOX 8 News.

Since joining ESPN Cleveland in 2012, Rizzo has become one of the city’s most familiar and trusted sports voices. He’s known for his coverage of the Cavaliers, Browns, and Guardians while also sitting down with major national figures like Brian Windhorst for high-profile interviews.

Currently, he continues to host Sunday night’s The Rizzo Show while still hosting The Really Big Show with Aaron Goldhammer. Thanks to influence in the Cleveland sporting community, Rizzo and his co-host, Goldhammer, played themselves in the 2014 sports drama film Draft Day, starring Kevin Costner.

Coming back to his recent appearance on ESPN Cleveland, He also expressed how lucky he feels after going through such a life-changing experience.

“I’m lucky to be alive,” Tony Rizzo said. “You know me. You know I’m not a hospital guy. But I knew right away the good Lord let me know. Get your ass to the hospital. Something is very wrong. Had I waited about 45 minutes, I would have died.”

As Rizzo returned to the airways, the Cleveland sports veteran didn’t waste much time and immediately fired a zinger about Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ treatment in the organization ahead of the 2026 season.

Tony Rizzo on how the Browns have treated Shedeur Sanders last season

Ahead of the 2026 season, the Cleveland Browns‘ quarterback remains one of the biggest talking points across the NFL. So, when Tony Rizzo returned, he issued his concerns about the treatment of the second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders. As a rookie, Sanders faced a lot of unwarranted criticism that plummeted his draft stock and even kept him on the bench over the first half of the season.

Then, after taking over the starting role in November, Sanders finished with a 3-4 record while throwing for 1,400 passing yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions across 8 games. Despite these poor numbers, the 24-year-old emerged as a fan favorite and was hence touted as the starter for this season.

Based on these performances, Tony Rizzo wants Sanders to have a larger role in 2026 while expressing his trust in new head coach Todd Monken.

“My guy (Shedeur) is like an intern,” Rizzo said. “You know what? It’s the coach’s job to go with the guy he thinks gives him the best chance to win. I have faith in Monken that he’ll do that. He’s not playing favorites. I’m just saying a guy that’s a 10-year vet, who was a three-time Pro Bowler, has a big advantage over a kid who they treated like an intern last year. That’s all.”

Tony Rizzo’s return to ESPN Cleveland after a near-fatal heart attack is a testament to his resilience and love for Cleveland sports. He wasted no time advocating for Shedeur Sanders while reminding fans why he has been the voice of The Land for over three decades. Cleveland is lucky to have him back.