Wright was at the helm of the Tigers for five years before announcing he was stepping down after battling Guillain-Barré syndrome [GBS].
Clarkson was hospitalised with the same complaint on Tuesday after being troubled by persistent back pain.
Wright, who spent three and a half weeks in hospital in December 2007, said he believed the Hawks coach would be back at work soon.
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"You don't know the extent of it but I would have thought there was a very good chance he'll be back coaching in the not too distant future," Wright told AFL.com.au on Tuesday afternoon.
"He's started treatment and he'll be having physiotherapy and just trying to get him back up on his feet as soon as possible to get the strength back in his muscles and get him back to coaching.
"I'm sure Alastair will have the best treatment, which I was fortunate to have, and he'll be doing a lot of rehab in the sense of making sure his leg and arm muscles remain strong.
"He's a very fit person – he's much fitter than I was – so I'm sure he'll make a rapid recovery."
"You don't know the extent of it but I would have thought there was a very good chance he'll be back coaching in the not too distant future," Wright told AFL.com.au on Tuesday afternoon.
"He's started treatment and he'll be having physiotherapy and just trying to get him back up on his feet as soon as possible to get the strength back in his muscles and get him back to coaching.
"I'm sure Alastair will have the best treatment, which I was fortunate to have, and he'll be doing a lot of rehab in the sense of making sure his leg and arm muscles remain strong.
"He's a very fit person – he's much fitter than I was – so I'm sure he'll make a rapid recovery."
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Wright's first indication something was wrong came in the form of numbness and tingling in his hands and feet.
He later experienced weakness in his extremities.
He was diagnosed by the club doctor and sent to Epworth Hospital for treatment.
GBS is caused by infections, usually respiratory or gastro related, with Wright's expected to have come from the former.
He was one of three patients treated at the time, which he was told was rare.
"Occasionally it does come in bursts because it might be a particular type of bug," he said.
"What happens is you get a bug, your immune system treats it but then your immune system attacks your nervous system at the same time.
"That's what causes your nervous system to shut down because basically, it shuts down your nerves."
Like is the case with most diseases and disorders, the internet can be a scary place for a prognoses and many fact sheets on GBS paint a bleak picture.
But Wright said he was back at work for the pre-season of the following year.
"The horror stories you hear are when people don't get properly treated," he said.
"Someone said to me, 'You won't be back at work for a year', and I was back within a couple of months.
"If he's in hospital now getting the proper treatment, I'm sure he'll make a full and rapid recovery."
Wright's decision to resign from his post at Richmond in August 2009, came because he was still suffering some minor symptoms of the syndrome.
But he said with Clarkson's fitness, it was possible to manage any potential after-effects.
"I was getting some residual tingling in my hands, which can happen sometimes, and I thought it was time to move on to do something else," he said.
"Occasionally I'll get a little bit of numbness or tingling because it damages the myelin sheath on the nerve.
"It's just numbness, it's nothing more.
"It's just like when you wake up in the morning and your hand is a bit numb, which can happen to anybody if they lie awkwardly and then within a few minutes it's fine again.
"It's one of those things like with any busy job, you just have to manage your stress levels.
"Lucky he's coaching Hawthorn."
Twitter: @AFL_JenPhelan
Wright's first indication something was wrong came in the form of numbness and tingling in his hands and feet.
He later experienced weakness in his extremities.
He was diagnosed by the club doctor and sent to Epworth Hospital for treatment.
GBS is caused by infections, usually respiratory or gastro related, with Wright's expected to have come from the former.
He was one of three patients treated at the time, which he was told was rare.
"Occasionally it does come in bursts because it might be a particular type of bug," he said.
"What happens is you get a bug, your immune system treats it but then your immune system attacks your nervous system at the same time.
"That's what causes your nervous system to shut down because basically, it shuts down your nerves."
Like is the case with most diseases and disorders, the internet can be a scary place for a prognoses and many fact sheets on GBS paint a bleak picture.
But Wright said he was back at work for the pre-season of the following year.
"The horror stories you hear are when people don't get properly treated," he said.
"Someone said to me, 'You won't be back at work for a year', and I was back within a couple of months.
"If he's in hospital now getting the proper treatment, I'm sure he'll make a full and rapid recovery."
Wright's decision to resign from his post at Richmond in August 2009, came because he was still suffering some minor symptoms of the syndrome.
But he said with Clarkson's fitness, it was possible to manage any potential after-effects.
"I was getting some residual tingling in my hands, which can happen sometimes, and I thought it was time to move on to do something else," he said.
"Occasionally I'll get a little bit of numbness or tingling because it damages the myelin sheath on the nerve.
"It's just numbness, it's nothing more.
"It's just like when you wake up in the morning and your hand is a bit numb, which can happen to anybody if they lie awkwardly and then within a few minutes it's fine again.
"It's one of those things like with any busy job, you just have to manage your stress levels.
"Lucky he's coaching Hawthorn."
Twitter: @AFL_JenPhelan
