Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar announced in a social media post on Thursday that he had undergone his fifth procedure in the past week in his battle against liver failure.
“I want to say how great I’m doing, but wow, the bleeding came back really aggressively in the middle of the night,” Kosar said in a video. “So I’m finishing up my fifth procedure.”
Kosar had posted to social media on Wednesday, revealing that two procedures had been performed to combat internal bleeding and that he was preparing for a third later that day. The 61-year-old announced that he was scheduled to receive a liver transplant last weekend, but the donor organ was determined to be infected.
“Man, all the duress right now, I could really use your love and support and prayers today,” Kosar said in a video on Wednesday.
Following each procedure, the internal bleeding has returned for Kosar, repeatedly forcing him back into surgery as he awaits the transplant.
In July 2024, Kosar announced in an interview with Cleveland Magazine that he had been diagnosed with liver failure and early signs of Parkinson’s Disease. He was placed on a liver transplant list in the late spring of that year. In December 2023, Kosar said his body began to fail him at a Browns game against the Jets.
“I really felt like I wasn’t going to make it home from the Jets game,” Kosar 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.”
Kosar was a national champion and second-team All-American at the University of Miami in the early 1980s, before being selected by the Browns in the first round of the 1985 supplemental draft. He spent nine seasons with Cleveland from 1985 to 1993, taking his team to three AFC Championship games and earning a 1987 Pro Bowl nod.
In 1993, Kosar was released midway through the season, and joined the Dallas Cowboys. He replaced Troy Aikman in the NFC Championship Game when he went down injured, helping Dallas get past the 49ers. Aikman returned for the Super Bowl against the Bills, and the Cowboys won their third championship.
Kosar finished his career with the Dolphins from 1994 to 1996 as the backup to Dan Marino. In his post-retirement life, he has remained close to the Browns organization, at one point serving as a consultant to former owner Randy Lerner.
