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Kirk Herbstreit Is Praying For Former College GameDay Colleague

Originally posted on The Spun | By Matt Hladik | Last updated Mar 10, 2025 10:11 PM ET

Kirk Herbstreit has been a mainstay on ESPN's College GameDay now for over three decades.

During his time on the show, Herbstreit has shared the stage with many colleagues, including David Pollack, who joined the GameDay crew in 2011 and remained there until being laid off by ESPN in July 2023. Pollack, a former star at the University of Georgia and first-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals, has been asking for prayers on social media Monday.

Earlier today, he revealed on X/Twitter that his wife Lindsey will be undergoing surgery for brain cancer later this week.

"I do not share much of my personal life on social media but today is gonna be different," Pollack said. "If you are the praying type please lift up my wife Lindsey. She has brain cancer and surgery is Wednesday at Duke. So thankful to serve a loving God that meets us in our struggles!"

Tonight, Herbstreit added his prayers for his old coworker and his wife to the mix.

BRISTOL, TN - SEPTEMBER 10: ESPN's Rece Davis, David Pollack, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit on set during College Gameday prior to the game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Tennessee Volunteers at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 10, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images)Michael Shroyer/Getty Images

"Prayers for Lindsey and the entire Pollack family," Herbstreit wrote.

Unfortunately, Herbstreit knows all too well what it's like to have a wife who is ill. On "The Pat McAfee Show" the day after he called Ohio State's win over Notre Dame in the national title game back in January, Herbstreit revealed his wife Alison has been battling breast cancer.

“I haven’t really talked about this publicly, but Ali my wife faced some stuff. It’s been a tough year for me behind the scenes,” Herbstreit told McAfee.

“My wife got diagnosed with breast cancer, Ben dies, it was just a lot of emotion. And when you do what we do, you endure. You do your job. And I think what happened, I couldn’t predict it, but when they won … it was like almost, I don’t know, maybe a release of all that pent-up stuff. And it just got the best of me. I’m an emotional guy in general and when things touch my heart, I’m not good at talking when that happens.”

We can't imagine what Herbstreit and Pollack have been going through. Wishing them and their wives the best.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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