The Daily Telegraph reports that the Sydney Swans superstar suffered a seizure at a Bondi café on Friday morning around 7.30am, and was rushed to hospital.
His future wife and model Jesinta was preparing to fly to Japan at the time, where she was scheduled to film segments for TV show Getaway, when she received the terrifying call.
A source tells the newspaper that they saw Jesinta, 24, apparently listening to a voicemail at the Sydney International Airport at 8.30am on the same day.
“She got really upset and started crying,” the witness says, adding that she overheard a conversation about, “a seizure of some sort, and that it wasn’t the first time it had happened.”
Surprisingly, Buddy fronted up to play footy against the Gold Coast Suns the next day, however he put in an unusually lacklustre performance.
The seizure revelation comes after the already injury plagued Sydney Swans sensationally announced earlier today that their marquee player, who is worth $9 million to the club, had withdrawn from this weekend’s finals clash against Fremantle due to “an ongoing mental health condition.”
The club’s statement left AFL insiders and fans baffled until the Telegraph revealed his seizure shock just hours later.
A NSW Ambulance spokesperson confirmed that a man had been transferred from Buddy’s favourite café, Skinny Dip, at the time, but refused to comment further.
It’s believed that Jesinta and Buddy are planning to marry as soon as next month, after she dropped hints about their impending nuptials last week.
Traditionally football stars marry in October and November, before being expected to front up again for pre-season training at the end of the year. But for now, everyone’s focus is getting Buddy back to fighting form.