Former NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar has revealed he is battling multiple medical issues, including liver failure and Parkinson’s disease.
The 60-year-old player, who played for the Cleveland Browns, has spoken openly about his health issues, saying he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease by an “independent NFL doctor” in February and was listed for a liver transplant in late spring.
He told Cleveland Magazine that his body “gave out” during a performance for the Browns during their game against the New York Jets on December 28.
“I really felt like I wasn’t going to make it home from the Jets game,” Kosar said. “But I stuck it out and avoided the doctors until the New Year, when I went to the hospital and had a massive blood transfusion.
“It was like, ‘How do you live? How do you move? Because your hemoglobin is so low.’
Former NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar has revealed he is battling multiple medical issues
Kosar was told by doctors in January that he likely needed a new liver before falling ill again in February,
While attending Super Bowl festivities in Las Vegas, the former quarterback’s condition deteriorated and he was forced to spend several days in the hospital.
His health continued to deteriorate in March, with Kosar saying he “looked like he was dead.”
“I wish you could have seen me three months ago,” Kosar says. “Actually, maybe not, because I looked like death. I felt like death. E. Coli sepsis. Heart problems. And I really thought I needed a liver transplant as soon as possible. I was in bad shape.”
But his doctor, Anthony Post, gave fans some optimistic news: the former Super Bowl winner has improved.
“Liver disease fluctuates quite a bit,” Post says. “So he’s in that wave motion where it goes up and down. He’s in a good phase now, but anything can happen.”
According to his doctors, the cause of Kosar’s liver failure has not yet been determined, but the liver contains “an incredibly high level of an organic solvent, higher than we’ve ever seen in anyone.”
Although Kosar is long retired, he still makes regular appearances at NFL games and Super Bowl festivities.
Kosar was drafted by the Browns with the first overall pick in the 1985 supplemental draft
Despite being long retired, Kosar makes regular appearances in the NFL. Pictured during the fourth round of the 2021 Draft
Last October, Kosar contributed to the crossover between the NFL and pop culture when he was photographed with Taylor Swift prior to the Kansas City Chiefs’ game against the Las Vegas Chargers in Arrowhead.
Swift, the girlfriend of Chiefs star Travis Kelce, and Kosar both attended a pre-game gathering at the tight end’s home before heading to the stadium to watch Kansas City’s win.
Swift posed for a photo next to Kosar just hours before the game, which was her third appearance at Arrowhead to watch Kelce in action for Kansas City, having seen her show up at Arrowhead just before kickoff on Sunday afternoon.
Kosar, best known for his eight-year stint with the Cleveland Browns, captioned the photo on X: “Watching the Browns game with @taylorswift13 before the KC game. Tough to see Deshaun get hurt!!!”
Kosar retired from the NFL in 1996 and has long struggled with injuries he suffered as a player, particularly head and brain problems.
Kosar is pictured with pop star Taylor Swift before a game between the Chargers and Chiefs in 2023
Travis Kelce’s girlfriend Swift and Kosar enjoyed lunch at the tight end’s Missouri home
The signal-caller ended his NFL career with a stint with the Dolphins. Pictured with Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown at a Miami game in 2016
Kosar says he suffered 80 broken bones, 40 surgeries, numerous seizures and countless concussions during his NFL career.
Kosar was selected first overall by the Browns in the 1985 supplement draft after starring for the University of Miami.
He led Cleveland to three AFC championship games before being fired by then-Browns coach Bill Belichick.
Kosar moved to Dallas, where he won the Super Bowl in 1993 as a backup quarterback for the Cowboys.
He finished his career with a stint back in Miami with the Dolphins from 1994-1996 before hanging up his boots for good. He passed for 23,301 yards and threw 124 touchdown passes during his career.
More to follow.
