He's only 60 years old.
Bernie Kosar has had a storied career in football. The Super Bowl champ has motivated countless athletes with his work on the field. But now, Kosar is facing a different kind of challenge, and he's sure to inspire even more people as he tackles it in the public eye.
In a new interview with Cleveland Magazine, the Ohio native announced he's been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease as well as liver failure. He told the publication he received his Parkinson's diagnosis from an independent NFL doctor back in February.
His liver issues date back even further. He was diagnosed with cirrhosis, characteristic of stage three liver failure, about 16 months ago. In late December 2023, he attended the Cleveland Browns' game against the New York Jets and realized something was very wrong. Still, he waited a bit before getting himself checked out.
"My body gave out on me," he said plainly. "I really felt like I wasn’t going to make it home from the Jets game. 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.'"
In January of this year, doctors told Kosar that he probably will need a liver transplant at some point. When he was heading to Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII just a few weeks later, he was hospitalized after his flight for several days.
Kosar's condition has since improved and he's already on the liver transplant waitlist. His doctor told Cleveland Magazine that liver disease symptoms "tend to fluctuate" and that he's been doing the right things to maintain his body amid the compounding health issues. "He takes a lot of supplements, he’s been exercising and has been on a good diet and is taking the medications that we've prescribed him and we’ve been following him pretty closely so he's really gotten a lot better," he said.
For now, Kosar continues to surprise himself as he takes life one day at a time and continues to implement healthy habits in his routine.
"It’s amazing that you can feel as good as I do despite all this stuff going on," he admitted. "I can see that what I’m doing is making a difference. I strongly believe it will continue. Time will tell."
