Former North Melbourne footballer Miller Bergman was rushed to hospital after a piece of chicken became lodged in his throat during a football awards night at Melbourne’s Crown Palladium.The 23-year-old Casey Demons defender was attending the VFL’s J. J. Liston Trophy count on Monday night when he became ill and had to leave the function.Bergman was sick on the floor and unable to swallow fluids, with Casey coach Rhett McLennan and assistant David Main taking him to the emergency department at Berwick Hospital. Riley Bonner and Miller Bergman arrive during the 2026 VFL and VFLW Awards at the Crown PalladiumDespite being unable to dislodge the food, Bergman could still breathe.’He could breathe but he couldn’t get rid of the food in his throat,’ McLennan told News Corp.’It was well and truly lodged in there.’Bergman had earlier been photographed arriving at the awards ceremony alongside fellow footballer Riley Bonner.MORE TO FOLLOW