Bernie Kosar’s payoff run with the Cleveland Browns ended with the 1989 AFC Championship Game at the Mile High Stadium, when the Denver Broncos knocked Cleveland out of the postseason for the third time in four years. Now, nearly four decades on, he is not chasing fourth-quarter comebacks so much as learning how to keep fighting on a different kind of field: a medical one.

Kosar is back in the hospital for another procedure, months after his liver transplant in November 2025. The former quarterback took to X to post a video and kept the update very short. “Going a little too hard,” he said in the video. “Found my way back into the hospital. Let’s get this procedure over with and have a winning day. See you next week. U Matter.”

He did not say what the latest procedure was or why he ended up in the University Hospitals. But that pattern has held since his transplant. Kosar’s transplant came after more than a year on the waiting list, following a cirrhosis diagnosis in late 2023 and a broader health battle that also includes Parkinson’s disease. The original surgery was scheduled in early November, but the donor organ was found to be infected, and the operation was scrapped. Doctors instead treated him for multiple cases of internal bleeding while the Browns legend asked fans for prayers as he waited for another donor.

Even as his body relearns how to function, Kosar has kept reinventing how he spends that time. Four months after the transplant, he described a strict daily routine – smoothies, “clean detox” supplements, and nasal-spray exosomes – framing it like a training regimen rather than a passive recovery. But that wasn’t all he was doing.

In April 2026, Kosar shared that he had been awarded an honorary black belt from All American Karate and the Cleveland Martial Arts Hall of Fame, noting that he was “grateful for the recognition.”

The health routine and the black belt make even more sense as part of a larger story. The liver transplant did not reset him to peak health; it moved him to a new set of conditions he has to adhere to now.

The transplant and what followed for Bernie Kosar

The operation, performed by Dr. Zoe Stewart at University Hospitals, lasted about five hours and was described by the surgical team as “uneventful.” He was discharged a week later, on November 24, and told reporters he felt like a “walking miracle.”

The organ notably came from 21-year-old Bryce Dunlap, a Cleveland-area native who passed away in November from complications of an anoxic brain injury. His family, noting that Bryce was a lifelong Browns fan, arranged for a donation that led to Kosar being the recipient. During the last home game for the Browns last season, Kosar even thanked the family directly in a recorded message played in the stadium.

“I can’t even begin to share how appreciative I am for the gift I received from Bryce Dunlap,” Kosar said. “Everyone, please get on your feet, and make some noise and show some support for my hero, Bryce.”

Since the transplant, Bernie Kosar’s body has tried to keep pace with the new liver while still wrestling with the rest of his health. In early December 2025, he was readmitted with E. coli blood poisoning, treated in the hospital for about a week, and then released. In January 2026, he was back in the hospital with a minor rejection episode, which was managed through IV therapy. In March 2026, he underwent another surgery, the details of which weren’t disclosed.

During that final home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, the Browns also honored Bryce Dunlap’s mother, Kimberly Dunlap Jane, as the Dawg Pound Captain before the game, letting her do the final guitar smash of the season. Kosar, in turn, has used his platform to spotlight organ donation since then. His battles with health, however, haven’t stopped.