Richardson Hospitalized for Heart Problems

Jerry Richardson, the owner of the Carolina Panthers, is not expected to be traveling with his team this weekend as the Panthers head to the East coast to take on the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. Instead, Richardson will spend his weekend recovering after having a pacemaker/defibrillator inserted into his chest following problems with an irregular heartbeat. No stranger to heart problems, Richardson was admitted to Carolinas Medical Center last week and has been hospitalized ever since.

Richardson had another scare with heart problems back in 2002, when he underwent quadruple heart-bypass surgery at the same medical center in Charlotte. The surgery was successful, and this time around his new device is a pacemaker defibrillator, which combines an internal defibrillator with pacemaker functions. The instrument is smaller than a pack of cigarettes, and will aim at treating both mechanical and electrical problems with the heart. Vice President Dick Cheney had a similar device implanted in his chest in 2001, so it seems Richardson is in good company.

72-year-old Jerry Richardson is a former NFL player, and is accredited for bringing the Panthers to the Carolinas. He is expected to be released from the hospital in the next few days.

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