What happened to Bernie Kosar? Browns legend reveals how many concussions he suffered during hallowed NFL career

Bernie Kosar spent 12 years serving as a quarterback between the 1985 and 1996 NFL seasons. He's best known for his time with the Cleveland Browns, where he compiled a winning 53-51-1 record across nine seasons as their starter.

Like all NFL players, especially for quarterbacks, Bernie Kosar had to deal with concussions during his career. The issue for him is that he played during an era where the long-term effects of such head injuries were not necessarily a point of emphasis by the league's front office.

Kosar shared an alarming story about the extent of his head and brain injuries during a recent interview with FOX:

"I'm proud to be sitting here this morning after almost 40 surgeries, 80 broken bones, 100+ documented concussions, and 15 seizures. We had been attempting to do this interview a half dozen years ago.

"I was on probably 50+ pills for 25+ years, this whole century, just trying to figure out a protocol and options that allow me to have a healthy lifestyle, where I'm able to articulate, enunciatenand communicate multiple syllable words. It wasn't always like that.”

Most of the damage done to Bernie Kosar occurred during his career with the Cleveland Browns. Following his departure from the franchise in 1993, he served as a backup for the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins. He only appeared in three games during that time before retiring at the conlcusion of the 1996 NFL season.

Kosar won a Super Bowl ring with the Cowboys as a backup for Troy Aikman before joining the Dolphins to backup Dan Marino. Despite those roles, his career is almost exclusively defined by his time with the Browns, where he is officially recognized as a franchise legend.

Bernie Kosar's gambling controversy

Jim Brown and Bernie Ksar

The former Cleveland Browns quarterback joined a local media broadcast team in 2022 to host "The Bernie Kosar Show" podcast. As a part of his funding, he was running advertisements for Tipico, a sports gambling company. While promoting it is perfectly within the rules and guidelines, NFL employees are strictly prohibited from placing any wagers on NFL games.

Legally considered an NFL employee due to his official podcast in relation to Browns local coverage, Kosar found himself in trouble after reportedly placing a $19,000 wager on a game. He was promptly fired by the Browns as soon as the news broke. Kosar has since apologized for his actions after initially claiming to be unaware that what he did was against the rules.