Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar is dealing with some serious health issues.
In an interview with Cleveland Magazine that was published on Tuesday, Kosar revealed that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and is awaiting a liver transplant due to cirrhosis. The 60-year-old said the diagnosis was made by an independent NFL doctor in February. One of Kosar’s own doctors then told him there is greater than a 90% chance that he will need a new liver and placed him on a transplant list.
Kosar said he felt very ill prior to the Browns’ game against the New York Jets last December but put off going to the doctor until the new year. That is when he learned that his health issues were serious.
“My body gave out on me. I really felt like I wasn’t going to make it home from the Jets game,” Kosar told Cleveland Magazine. “I sucked it up, though, and continued to avoid the doctors until the new year. Then I went into the hospital and got a massive blood transfusion. It was like: ‘How are you alive? How are you moving? Because your hemoglobin levels are so low.'”
The Browns drafted Kosar with the first overall pick in the 1985 Supplemental Draft. He spent eight-plus seasons in Cleveland and led the team to the AFC Championship Game three times. Kosar was named to the Pro Bowl in 1987.
Kosar went on to win a Super Bowl as a backup with the Dallas Cowboys in 1993 before finishing his career with the Miami Dolphins.
More recently, Kosar worked as a team ambassador and contributor to in-house radio programming with the Browns. He was relieved of those duties early last year for a surprising reason.
