Bob Costas is still quick on his feet. Just ask his dear friend, whose life he saved by performing the Heimlich maneuver.
A rep for the legendary sportscaster tells People that Costas was having dinner with a longtime friend in Syracuse, New York when the man started chocking. Costas quickly jumped to the rescue and saved the man’s life, the rep said.
“Bob performed the Heimlich maneuver and his friend was very quickly totally fine,” the rep told the magazine.
The incident went down two weeks ago. The 71-year-old had been in the area to speak to students at Syracuse University, where Costas studied.
On Tuesday, Costas appeared on The Show With Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman podcast and opened up about the experience.
“Unlike you, I never took a course and I’d never done it before,” said Costas about performing the life-saving maneuver. “But I was familiar with it, you know. Those posters are in restaurants or you see something on television about it.”
Page Six was first to report the news.
“So the guy was right there to my left and started choking, kind of spitting and coughing” he added, “his face is turning crimson, so I just jumped up and did what I thought I should do and luckily enough it worked out.”
Costas later said he wasn’t sure if he saved his friend’s life, “but I saved him from considerable discomfort, that’s for sure.”
Costas is currently calling the National League Division Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks. World Series champion and New York Mets legend Ron Darling is Costas’ partner in the broadcast booth for TBS.
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