Matt Lauer To Take Over for Bob Costas on Primetime Winter Olympics Coverage

Credit: NBC

The Winter Olympics have been a huge topic of discussion this week. But not necessarily for the events themselves, but rather, for newscaster Bob Costas' highly noticeable, steadily worsening eye infection. In light of Costas' continues difficulties, The Today Show's Matt Lauer is being brought in to take over for Costas on primetime Winter Olympics coverage, effective Tuesday night.

Over the past several days, NBC had adopted the use of wider shots to make Costas' infected eyes less noticeable, but the condition is no longer capable of being hidden. Unfortunately, this could sideline Costas for the rest of the games, as pinkeye has a recovery time of up to two weeks. But, at the very least, Costas is leaving the primetime Olympics coverage in capable hands, as Lauer can certainly handle the demands of the broadcast.

For his part, Costas has remained in good spirits throughout the entire ordeal, acknowledging his noticeable ailment on the air. In an interview with Mary Carillo on Monday night, the legendary sportscaster even went as far as to indulge in a shot of vodka to dull his condition a bit. "I’m not really a vodka guy," Costas rationalized, "but look at it this way: my eyes can’t get any redder, no matter what I do.”

Here's hoping the best for a speedy recovery for Costas.

Via: Yahoo! Sports