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Cleveland Browns legend Bernie Kosar was released from the hospital Monday after a successful liver transplant a week earlier.
Kosar, who was released a day before his 62nd birthday, said he felt like a “walking miracle.”
“I didn’t think I was going to be here for my 62nd birthday,” Kosar said during a press conference Monday, according to Cleveland.com. “I didn’t think I was going to be healthy, let alone get out of here.”
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All-time great Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar is introduced to fans before the National Football League game between the New England Patriots and the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio on October 16, 2022. (Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“I feel like a walking miracle.”
Kosar revealed 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 spring 2024, Kosar received a new liver on November 17. The liver came from Bryce Dunlap, 21, who died the day before from complications of an anoxic brain injury.
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Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar (left) and broadcaster and former NFL quarterback Tom Brady stand on the field before 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 family said was a huge Browns and Cleveland sports fan, would celebrate from heaven that he saved someone’s life, according to family.
“We are very happy that Bernie is being released so that he can continue to recover comfortably. We truly believe that Bryce looks down and is so proud to have helped a Browns legend. And that is what gets us through this. Bryce was an incredible boy with the biggest heart,” the Dunlap family said in a statement to 3news.com
After learning the story of how Kosar obtained his liver, the Browns legend became emotional.
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Cleveland Browns alumnus Bernie Kosar on the field before 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 despises me, and I’m very grateful for that. But he’s also in me. I feel it in me. I know it sounds cheesy or external; I feel it in me. There’s more than me in me now. There’s no doubt about it. I love him and his family. You matter.”
Kosar spent 12 seasons in the NFL, nine of which were with the Browns. He was named to his only 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 was 53-54-1 and completed 59.3% of his passes for 23,301 yards, with 124 touchdowns and 87 interceptions.
