Former NFL player Bernie Kosar shared a troubling health update on Wednesday as he announced he was undergoing a third surgery just this week.
Kosar, who is battling liver failure and Parkinson’s disease, said he was set to receive a donor liver over the weekend but that it was infected.
He then began suffering from internal bleeding on Monday and had to undergo two ‘aggressive procedures.’
On Wednesday, he asked fans for their support before he underwent a third procedure of the week.
‘Man, all the duress right now, I could really use your love, support and actual prayers today,’ he said in a Facebook video.
Kosar, 61, revealed to Cleveland Magazine in July 2024 that he was facing a cirrhosis diagnosis and early-stage Parkinson’s.
Bernie Kosar told fans from a hospital bed that he was prepared to undergo a third procedure this week
It was revealed last year that Kosar was battling Parkinson’s and liver failure
He told the outlet that his body ‘gave out’ during an appearance at a Browns game against the Jets in December 2023.
‘I really felt like I wasn’t going to make it home from the Jets game,’ he said. ‘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.’
Kosar, who spent nine years with the Browns, three seasons with the Dolphins and one with the Cowboys, has been left with many health issues from his NFL career, as he says he suffered around 100 concussions and 80 broken bones during his playing days.
As News 5 Cleveland reported over the summer, Kosar has been on a liver transplant list for over a year.
However, he expressed mixed emotions at the prospect of him getting a liver, and what that might entail happening to the donor.
‘To really realize that I’m going to be getting a liver from somebody that really could have a bad accident today, he said.
Kosar is pictured with popstar Taylor Swift before a 2023 game between Chargers and Chiefs
Despite being long retired, former Browns QB Kosar makes regular appearances around the NFL
‘From a psychological standpoint, I don’t wish any ill or issues like that on anybody, and to think that that’s kind of what we’re waiting for right now, it’s spiritually conflicting.’
The August report also stated that Kosar needed surgical procedures ‘every couple of days’ to remove fluid from his blood.
Kosar previously admitted that he had suffered with liver-related illnesses for years but brushed them off with no clear source of the problems.
The former quarterback retired from the sport in 1996, but has remained around the game since.
He’s been known to make appearances at Super Bowl festivities, and was even pictured with pop star Taylor Swift two years ago as they attended a pre-game gathering at Travis Kelce’s house.
