Bernie Kosar Is in Need of a Liver Transplant After an "Infected" Liver Delayed His Procedure

Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar is remembered among fans as one of the team's star players in its heyday. Now, he needs a liver transplant, and he has shared his struggles to get one with fans through social media. For those who are a little out of the loop, though, why does Bernie Kosar need a liver transplant in the first place? He was supposed to have one in early November 2025, but the procedure was postponed due to an "infected" liver, according to Bernie.

He shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) to update fans on his health. In the video, Bernie is in a hospital bed and tells fans that he was going to get a liver transplant the weekend after Veterans Day in November 2025. However, because the liver he was supposed to get was not viable, his procedure was put on hold. And the reason why Bernie needs a liver in the first place has to do with two diagnoses he opened up about before.

In July 2024, Bernie spoke with Cleveland Magazine about his health. He shared that he had been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver and Parkinson's disease, though the latter was, at the time, in its early stages. The outlet reported that, according to Bernie's doctor, his condition had improved by mid-2024 after it had been more serious at the start of the year. But he was also put on the donor list for a new liver.

"My body gave out on me,'' Bernie told Cleveland Magazine, of his deteriorating health in December 2023. "I really felt like I wasn't going to make it home from the Jets game. 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. It was like: 'How are you alive? How are you moving? Because your hemoglobin levels are so low.'''

He also shared that he is in stages three and four of liver failure, which is why he needs a liver transplant now. As a result of his health, Bernie had multiple hospital stays to be treated while he waited for a liver and for his transplant to be scheduled. After he shared in November 2025 that his transplant fell through because of the donor's liver, he was back to the holding pattern.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, the two late stages of liver disease are cirrhosis and liver failure. Complications in the liver toward the end stages of liver disease include internal bleeding, an enlarged spleen, and even kidney failure in some cases.

Per Ubie Health, patients with cirrhosis of the liver can live up to one year after their diagnosis without a transplant. Bernie has surpassed that, but it's clear that his need for a viable donor and a successful transplant is more important than ever for him.