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Cleveland Browns legend Bernie Kosar was released from a hospital Monday after a successful liver transplant just a week earlier.
Kosar, who was released a day before his 62nd birthday, said he feels like a “walking miracle”.
“There was no way I thought I’d be here for my 62nd birthday,” Kosar said during a press conference Monday, according to Cleveland.com. “There was no way I thought I was going to be healthy, let alone walk out of here.”
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar is introduced to fans prior to the National Football League game between the New England Patriots and the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio on Oct. 16, 2022. (Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“I feel like a walking miracle.”
Kosar revealed that he needed a transplant after being diagnosed with liver failure in July 2024 in an interview with Cleveland Magazine.
After being placed on a transplant list in the spring of 2024, Kosar received a new liver on Nov. 17. The liver came from 21-year-old Bryce Dunlap, who had died of complications from an anoxic brain injury the day before.
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Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar (L) and broadcaster and former NFL quarterback Tom Brady stand on the field prior to a game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio on September 8, 2024. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Dunlap, who the family says was a big Browns and Cleveland sports fan, wanted to celebrate from heaven that he saved someone’s life, according to the family.
“We are so happy that Bernie has been released so he can continue to recover in comfort. We truly believe that Bryce is looking down and is so proud that he helped a Browns legend. And that is what keeps us coming. Bryce was a great kid with the biggest heart,” the Dunlap family said in a statement to 3news.com
After telling the story of how Kosar got his liver, the Browns became playfully emotional.
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Cleveland Browns alumni Bernie Kosar on the field prior to the National Football League game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns on December 23, 2018 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. (Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“I try not to cry first. I love him,” Kosar told 3News. “Yes, he looks down on me and I’m so grateful for that. But he’s also inside me. I feel him inside me. I know it sounds corny or out there; I feel him inside me. There’s more than me in me now. There’s no doubt about that. I love him and his family. You matter.”
Kosar spent 12 seasons in the NFL, nine with the Browns. He was named to his lone Pro Bowl with the Browns, but won the Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys in 1993. He spent the final three seasons of his career with the Miami Dolphins.
In 126 games and 108 starts, Kosar had a 53-54-1 record and completed 59.3% of his passes for 23,301 yards with 124 touchdowns and 87 interceptions.
