Is Bernie Kosar dead? How is Bernie Kosar’s health?

Bernie Kosar has had a legendary career in football. The Super Bowl champion has motivated countless athletes with his work on the field. But now Kosar is facing a different kind of challenge, and he’s confident he’ll inspire even more people as he fights in the public eye.

In a new interview with Cleveland Magazine, the Ohio native announced that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and liver failure. He told the publication he received a Parkinson’s diagnosis from an independent NFL doctor in February.

Liver problems go back even further. About 16 months ago he was diagnosed with cirrhosis, characteristic of stage three liver failure. In late December 2023, he went to the Cleveland Browns’ game against the New York Jets and realized something was very wrong. Still, he waited a bit before getting checked.

“My body abandoned me,” he said plainly. “I literally felt like I wouldn’t be able to come home from the Jets game. But I pulled myself together and kept avoiding doctors until the new year. Then I went to the hospital and got a major 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 would likely need a liver transplant at some point. While he was heading to Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII a few weeks later, he was hospitalized for several days after his flight.

Kosar’s condition has since improved and he is now on the liver transplant waiting list. His doctor told Cleveland Magazine that his liver disease symptoms “tend to fluctuate” and that he’s doing the right things to maintain his body amid compounding health problems. “He’s been taking a lot of supplements , and he’s been exercising, and he’s on a good diet, and he’s taking the medications that we’ve prescribed him, and we’ve been monitoring him pretty closely, so he’s really gotten a lot better,” she said.

For now, Kosar continues to surprise herself by taking life day by day and adding healthy habits to her routine.

“It’s great that you feel as good as I do despite everything that’s going on,” he admitted. “I can see that what I’m doing is making a difference. I believe it will continue. Time will tell.”