Cleveland Browns The great Bernie Kosar, who led the team to three AFC Championship Games, said he has liver disease and was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Kosar, 60, was placed on the transplant list in late spring, he revealed in a recent interview with Cleveland Magazine.
Former Cleveland Browns player Bernie Kosar stands on the field before the game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 23, 2018 in Cleveland. (Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
former NFL Quarterback He explained that he was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver 16 months ago, but said he had a serious health scare after attending a Thursday Night Football game between the Browns and New York Jets last season.
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“I was paralyzed,” he told the outlet. “I really thought I wasn’t going to make it home from the Jets game, but I held on and didn’t go to the doctor until after the new year. Then I went to the hospital and got a bunch of blood transfusions. They were like, ‘How are you doing? How are you functioning? Your hemoglobin is low.'”
Kosar said: Parkinson’s disease The announcement was made by the NFL’s independent physician in February.
Kosar’s doctors told Cleveland Magazine that he will eventually need a liver transplant.
Cleveland Browns player Bernie Kosar steps back to throw a pass against the Washington Redskins during a game at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. on October 13, 1991. Kosar played for the Browns from 1985 to 1993. (Focus on Sports/Getty Images)
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“Liver disease is fluctuating,” says Dr. Anthony Post, a hepatologist at University Hospitals in Seattle, “so his condition is on a wave that goes up and down. He’s doing well now, but something could go wrong.”
Kosar agreed, adding that thanks to the treatment and lifestyle changes, his health is much better than before.
“I wish they’d seen me three months ago,” he said. “Actually, maybe not, because I looked and felt like I was dying. E. coli sepsis. Heart disease. And I thought I needed a liver transplant really quickly. I was just not feeling well.”
Cleveland Browns all-time great quarterback Bernie Kosar is introduced to fans before the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns game at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 16, 2022 in Cleveland. (Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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“It’s amazing to feel as good as I do with all the hard stuff going on,” he added. “I can see that what I’m doing is making a difference and I strongly believe this is here to stay. Only time will tell.”
Kosar led the Browns to three AFC Championship Game appearances and won a Super Bowl as a backup after being fired by Cleveland coach Bill Belichick in 1993. Dallas Cowboys. He threw for 23,301 passing yards and 124 touchdown passes from 1985 to 1996. He was a star player at the University of Miami before being selected first overall by the Browns in the 1985 supplemental draft.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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