NBC’s Brian Williams To Take Medical Leave

Brain Williams of NBC Nightly News has announced that he will be taking a medical leave of absence to have surgery on his right knee.

The Los AngelesTimes reported that Williams announced his leave of absence late last week, and is expected to begin his absence beginning this week.

The report continued on to say that NBC’s Lester Holt is expected to fill in for Brian Williams for a time frame of between three weeks to three months.

Williams’ surgery is reportedly a result of an old high school football injury.

The injury “reversed my knee – they don’t recommend that,” Williams said in a story published on the “Nightly News” blog.

“I’ve been in pain for 35 years,” he added. “I loved playing a team sport. I loved every minute of football. I’ve paid a very high price for what’s been confirmed to be the single worst New Jersey High School Catholic League football career in history.”

Williams continued on to say:

“I reached a point recently in the last 12 months where I decided this has to happen and to be mathematical about it, I’ve lived now most of my days so worst-case scenario, if this doesn’t go perfectly well, which it will, it can’t hurt more than it hurts now.”

According to Entertainment Tonight, Williams first announced that he was undergoing knee surgery during his appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman on July 17.

“I’m going in for the knee replacement. I’m going in for the whole titanium thing,” he said.

Brain Williams recently made news when he performed Warren G’s Regulate in the latest of Jimmy Fallon’s mash-up videos featuring the NBC Nightly News anchor and managing editor.

Will you be wishing Brain WIlliams a speedy recover? And will you be watching NBC Nightly News while he is on his medical leave?

[Image by David Shankbone via Wikimedia Commons]