Former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar couldn't help but recall his playing days as he watched Colt McCoy reenter the game against Pittsburgh on Thursday night after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit from Steelers linebacker James Harrison.

The matter has generated controversy, with McCoy's father, Brad, suggesting that the Browns passer should never have returned to the field. As a result, representatives from the NFL and NFL Players Association will meet with Colt and the Browns medical staff Tuesday.

Kosar told the team's "Cleveland Browns Daily" radio show this week that the increased attention around concussions is appropriate -- and a major departure from when he played.

"The concussion's ... something I'm pretty familiar with from playing ... and getting so many in my career. The medicine has come so far ... back in the '80s, guys, you know, thought it was a headache, thought it was a sign of weakness to ... (not) play because of a headache.

"... That type of -- I don't know, I want to say Neanderthal -- thought, unfortunately I had and wanted to get back in there -- and you pay the price later. You pay the price now as you start getting in your late 40s and early 50s, and it's not pleasant."

Kosar said his coaches rarely had a choice to put him back into a game, as he'd run out onto the field before any tangible conversation occurred.
McCoy has played through a variety of injuries in what's been described as a season-long tryout for the starting job. According to Kosar, NFL quarterbacks detest seeing someone else in their spot, pushing them to recklessly ignore pain. Even when it's much more than just a headache.



(nfl.com)

This Date In Hurricanes History...October 11, 1968...
 
Brought to you by the UM Sports Hall of Fame!

UMSHoF member Bernie Kosar set a then school record with 29 completions as the 9th ranked Miami Hurricanes claimed a 27-7 Homecoming Game victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers before an Orange Bowl crowd of 32,872 !
 
Kosar completed the 29 passes in 42 attempts and ended the game with 351 yards passing.  UMSHoF member Willie Smith caught 8 passes for 82 yards, UMSHoF member Alonzo Highsmith caught 4 passes for 31 yards and rushed for 102 yards on 15 carries, with 2 touchdowns.  All American and UMSHoF member Eddie Brown had 5 receptions for 67 yards.  Stanley Shakespeare caught 6 passes for 125 yards and Kosar's lone touchdown pass.
 
Kosar passed UMSHoF member Jim Kelly's season passing yardage record, with 3 regular season games to go !  He would end the 1984 campaign with 3,642 yards passing, STILL the UM record !  His 262 completions in 416 pass attempts are also school records !

The University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame is a non-profit, 501c3 corporation whose sole purpose is to recognize those student-athletes, coaches and administrators who have excelled at their sports and brought acclaim to the university through their accomplishments and championships.  All tax-deductible donations help showcase their achievements for Hurricanes fans to enjoy for generations to come !

To Donate to the UM Sports Hall of Fame, click below...

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Meet former Browns great, Bernie Kosar, Saturday, September 24 from Noon to 1:30 p.m at Lodi Station Outlets, Burbank, OH 4th and Goal Sports store, suite 420. Autograph pricing starts at $35.



Click here to order Bernie Kosar’s proCane Rookie Card.

HAGERSTOWN— Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar will be at Hagerstown Premium Outlets south of Hagerstown Friday to sign autographs during the grand opening of a Longaberger Factory Store.

In addition to Kosar, Longaberger CEO Tami Longaberger will be at the event, which is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon.

Kosar was quarterback for the Browns from 1985 to 1993 and played in three AFC Championship games. He also led the University of Miami to a national championship during the 1983-84 season.

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(herald-mail.com)

Cleveland, Ohio—The Northeastern Ohio Chapter of the National Football Foundation has selected the 2011 Dino Lucarelli Lifetime Achievement Award, Bernie Kosar, and the inaugural Dick Zunt Ohio Sportswriter’s Award, Dan Couglin, winners. Both of these winners will be presented at the Chapter's 23rd Annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet on Monday, April 25 at LaCentre Banquet Facility in Westlake.

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(footballfoundation.org)

Bernie Kosar played 12 years in the NFL and retired at the age of 33.

The Cleveland Browns sports legend says he's suffered more than ten concussions in his career.

He has advice for parents and young athletes. Click on the video to hear his story in his own words.

Click here to order Bernie Kosar’s proCane Rookie Card.



(wkyc.com)

Back in the early ‘90s, Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar set a league record (since broken by Tom Brady(notes)) by completing 308 passes in a row without an interception. While Kosar won his only Super Bowl as a backup to Troy Aikman with the Dallas Cowboys in the 1993 season, the Ohio native is beloved in Cleveland for his many years as the public face of the Browns.

Now the 47-year-old is trying to get into coaching and the Browns must not be interested because the Boston Globe reports that Kosar "has been poking around the (New England) Patriots the past couple weeks" in hopes of landing a coaching gig. And ProFootballTalk has it that WKNR Radio is reporting that Kosar has also been talking to the Cincinnati Bengals about getting a gig there.

Wonder how Browns fans would take it if Kosar ended up in Cincinnati.

Click here to order Bernie Kosar’s proCane Rookie Card.



(yahoo.com)

Heard former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar has been poking around the Patriots the past couple weeks. He hopes to get into coaching.


Click here to order Bernie Kosar’s proCane Rookie Card.



(boston.com)

(Buffalo, NY) - Another piece of Cleveland sports history has now been pushed aside.

Tom Brady set an NFL record Sunday while helping the New England Patriots wrap up home field throughout the AFC playoffs.

Brady threw for three touchdowns and the Pats clinched the top seed in the conference by blasting the Buffalo Bills 34-3.

Brady also extended his streak of passing attempts without an interception to 319, topping the previous NFL mark of 308 set by Bernie Kosar with the Browns in the 1990-91 seasons.

Click here to order Bernie Kosar’s proCane Rookie Card.



(wtam.com)

A confident slate of eight Republicans and one former Cleveland Browns quarterbackstopped at the soon-to-open Wood and Wine restaurant in Avon yesterday to urge a packed house to make a change in Ohio.

Jim Andrews, who said the Wood and Wine on Chester Road should open next week, said Republicans understood the need to support small business owners. He introduced Dave Yost, candidate for Ohio auditor who in turn introduced Judith Lanzinger (Supreme Court Justice), Maureen O’Connor (Supreme Court Chief Justice,) former Senator and Ohio Attorney General candidate Mike DeWine, Secretary of State candidate Jon Husted, Lt. Governor candidate Mary Taylor, Congressman Rob Portman (Senator) and the Republican candidate for governor, John Kasich.

The forum was part of a statewide bus tour. The Avon stop was orchestrated by Avon Lake Councilwoman Jennifer Fenderbosch.

Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar addressed the crowd as a Rob Portman supporter, leading Mary Taylor to gush that days after meeting California Gov. Arnold Schwartzenegger, it wasn’t as much as a thrill as sitting next to Kosar.

Portman, currently an Ohio Congressman, said Ohio’s unemployment rate is in the top 10 bracket in the United States.

That’s not a top 10 you want to be in, he said.

Candidates took the opportunity to tout change in Ohio and the United States should Republicans get elected.

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(avonlakeledger.com)

Auburn Township trustees are considering an effort to purchase part of a commercial parcel, owned by former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar, when it comes up for sheriff's sale for delinquent taxes.

Kosar is listed as the primary owner of 38 acres of commercially zoned property around the interchange of Routes 44 and 422.

He purchased the land in 1991 with plans to develop it, but has failed to pay taxes on the 10 vacant parcels, appraised at slightly more than $1 million, since 2005, according to the Geauga County Auditor's website.

Auburn trustees said they would be interested in obtaining a portion of one 10-acre, L-shaped parcel, which fronts on Route 44 but runs behind the township's existing Shadyside Cemetery on Washington Street.

The portion is mostly flat, but slopes into a dry ravine toward the back of the property, overlooking Route 422, according to Trustee P.J. Cavanagh.

"It would be the least complicated way for us to add onto our existing cemetery, and the best way to take care of that need far into the future," Cavanagh said Monday night.

Under Ohio law, townships are mandated to maintain cemeteries, but the state also has made it next to impossible to construct new graveyards, the trustee said. Auburn's two main cemeteries are not completely full, but trustees would like to plan for the community's future needs.

"We may need (an expansion) within the next 10 to 15 years," Trustee Chairman John Eberly said.

"How often does this kind of opportunity happen, with a sheriff's sale?" Trustee Mike Troyan added. "This might be affordable."

Trustees said they would not be interested in buying all 10 properties, or even the entire parcel adjacent to the cemetery, because even in a sheriff's sale, the cost would likely be more than the township could afford.

Eberly said he would like to look into swapping part of the parcel for township-owned land on the other side of Route 44.

He added that Assistant County Prosecutor Bridey Matheny indicated such a trade might be feasible, but that she recommended that trustees designate one of them to look into the possibility.

Eberly said another option would be to approach whoever purchases the property and offer to buy the small section adjoining the cemetery.

According to the Geauga County Auditor's website, the 10 parcels add up to 38.13 acres and are appraised at $1,003,400.

The owner is listed as Auburn LaDue LLC, with Bernard J. Kosar Jr. listed as primary owner. Kosar's mailing address is listed as a post office box in Nashport, Ohio.

County Auditor Frank Gliha confirmed Tuesday that the property is in foreclosure for back taxes, but said no date has been determined yet for the sheriff's sale.

"It's in the beginning stages of foreclosure that just started in July," Gliha said. "It's going to be a while before it goes to auction."



(news-herald.com)

Bernie Kosar is a legendary figure in Cleveland sports history..He epitomizes the losing and frustration that has taken in place in Cleveland for all these years..He’s also a native Ohioan so he’s lived through all the suffering..Even though his football career has ended, he’s still hitting back..This time he hits a bike cop..with his car…OOOPS.. Bernie received a ticket for an illegal U-turn in Cleveland and also drew a ticket for failure to control.



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If Bernie Kosar can make up with Art Modell, will the rest of Cleveland follow?

That's the question after reading Terry Pluto's terrific column about Kosar in today's Cleveland Plain Dealer. It starts off with Kosar making a trip to Baltimore to see Modell.

"Why not make up with him? Life is too short. We had a great visit," Pluto quotes Kosar as saying about Modell, who moved the Browns to Baltimore in 1995.

For those of you unfamiliar with Kosar, he was LeBron James before LeBron James was born. Kosar was raised in Northwest Ohio, was a superstar athlete at a young age, played for the hometown Browns and wanted nothing more than to bring a championship to Cleveland.

He was, and maybe still is, Cleveland's favorite son. Instead of leaving via free agency, he was unceremoniously waived by then-Browns head coach Bill Belichick. The city was crushed. Kosar was crushed. Yet he's made up with Belichick and he's made up with the man who allowed Belichick to waive him -- Modell.

I've never been ashamed to admit that I'm from Cleveland and I'm a huge fan of Cleveland sports. I've also come around to the view that Modell should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Sooner rather than later, too. It would be nice if Modell was alive when he goes in.

 That doesn't mean I've forgiven Modell for moving the Browns. It was and still is despicable. But you can't discount the man's influence on the NFL. There are many in the Hall who did far less than Modell.

So Kosar has made peace with Modell. Will the faction in Cleveland that has fought to keep Modell out of the Hall come around to Kosar's thinking? Can Modell ever return to Cleveland?

Like Kosar said, life is too short.

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(baltimoresun.com)

So far this week, in his new gig as a Radio Host with WQAM, Michael Irvin has interviewed former teammate Steve Walsh as well as former Hurricane and NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar. Florida Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez was also interviewed this week on WQAM. Click here to listen to all the interviews.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - It was more than 12 hours since Bernie Kosar watched "The Decision," and his voice still cracked as he fought off the tears talking about LeBron James leaving the Cavs for the Miami Heat.

"It brought back all the memories," said the former Browns quarterback. "I saw the ball on the ground from The Fumble, the catch in the end zone at the end of The Drive... I even felt some of the same things that I felt when the Browns moved."

But most of all, Kosar felt for Cleveland sports fans - because he is one of them.

"I had this sick sense inside, like when I was cut [by the Browns in 1993]," said Kosar. "All the old emotions came back, watching LeBron."
A native of Youngstown who wanted to play for the Browns and helped the team make that happen when he entered the college draft, Kosar finds it hard to believe James would leave the Cavs.

"He's from here [Akron]," said Kosar. "I really thought that as an athlete, your ultimate goal would be to win a title for your hometown team. That's what drove me when I was with the Browns. I wanted to finish what I started."

It never happened, as Browns fans know ...

"The Drive, The Fumble ..." said Kosar, his voice trailing off.

He thought about James being only 25, how he had plenty of time to re-sign with the Cavs and keep pushing for that title.

"I felt for [Cavs owner] Dan Gilbert watching that show," said Kosar. "I think of all the money that he spent – he tried to win at all cost for the Cavs fans, the town and LeBron. Then to see LeBron was even willing to take less money and help Miami's salary cap – that had to hurt."
Kosar admitted being a bit surprised by the harsh tone of Gilbert's letter criticizing James, but he understood it – and appreciated Gilbert's passion.

"I like an owner who cares, and Dan really cares," said Kosar. "I think he wants us to know that he won't quit, despite what happened with LeBron. It's time for all of us in this town to rally around each other and our teams."

What about James?

"I'm disappointed by this," he said. "I would have loved to sit down and talk to him. I tried at times, but I was never able to get to him. He has a lot of people around him."

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(cleveland.com)

Bernie Kosar, one of the good guys, is having his car sold at a public auction Sunday as part of his bankruptcy filing. Kosar's 2007 Chevy Tahoe wil lbe sold at the West Palm Beach-based Audtion America Inc., according to a filing by Boca Raton Bankruptcy trustee Robert Furr. Internet bidding is available at www.2bid4stuff.com.



(sun-sentinel.com)

WARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Bernie Kosar sat on a stool, watching the Cleveland Gladiators run drills Wednesday from behind netting that surrounds the Arena Football League team's indoor practice field in Warrensville Heights.

The symbolism was inescapable: One of the most beloved Cleveland sports figures was, for the moment, on the outside looking in.

The 46-year-old Kosar, who retired in 1996 -- well after becoming legend in this town for having led the Browns to the AFC Championship Game three times -- has a hand in two football teams, but no official titles and duties that are undefined.

After serving as president of the Gladiators in 2008, the former Browns quarterback is a special adviser to the team, which opens its season April 3 at The Q.

Last fall, Browns owner Randy Lerner brought Kosar in as a team consultant, although that role also has never been determined.

Kosar said he's met a few times with Browns President Mike Holmgren and coach Eric Mangini, but his involvement with the team is kind of on hold.

"Right now, I haven't been doing as much while they're trying to get things settled. I hope to talk with them," he said in an interview during the Gladiators practice. "You know, they're busy down there with the [NFL] owners meetings this week in Orlando, [Fla.], but the off-season programs are just about ready to get started now and they're starting to get ready for the draft, so I'd like to still stay involved."

Kosar, who played for the Browns from 1985 until being released in the middle of the season in 1993, had no preference about what his contribution might be.

"You know what, at this point, to be able to learn under [Holmgren] and with him and [General Manager] Tom Heckert and coach Mangini, I'd be happy to do whatever they want," he said.

With the Gladiators, Kosar, who plans to attend the games, said he's helped head coach Steve Thonn get adjusted to Cleveland.

Kosar said he also has helped owner and friend Jim Ferraro put the front office and organization together. But he's also stepped back from the arena team a bit.

"Because of some of the things I've personally been going through," he said, "[I'm] really trying to let them manage it and do their jobs."

Kosar, who said he's been spending a lot of time in Ohio and is busy raising his four children, went through a messy divorce and filed for bankruptcy protection last summer, estimating debts of $10 million to $50 million. The Florida court filing blamed the economy, the collapse of the real estate market and financial mismanagement by those he trusted.

As painful as it's been, Kosar says he's happy.

"Actually, I am," he said. "My kids are doing good. They love me, I love them. I'm doing some football stuff. [Life is] not as confusing as before. I've got my health.

"Was I always? Was it fun? Absolutely not, but you know what, it isn't easy and I'm kind of glad I've come out the other side. It gave me some experiences I bluntly wish I didn't have to experience, don't want to ever really experience them again, but I survived them. At the end of the day, I like to think of myself as a fighter and a survivor."

As the Gladiators practice ended, Kosar was asked to address the team. He encouraged the players to make the most of their opportunity, to have no regrets, that if they did their best today then tomorrow would take care of itself.

"I'd give anything to be able to play again," he told them. "You don't want to be my age and look back and wonder what might have been."

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(cleveland.com)

Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar, always a local crowd favorite, brought cheers and laughs to the Cleveland Auto Show's annual dealers breakfast this morning.

Kosar, now a consultant with the Browns, joked about coming back. He also said the passing game should improve because of new president Mike Holmgren, and the Browns are really interested in drafting a quarterback in the NFL Draft.

Kosar also talked about the economics of the game.

"Economically, I don't know if they want to pay [Derek Anderson close to $10 million] when Brady [Quinn] has much better accuracy," Kosar said.

Anderson is due a $2 million roster bonus on March 19, and he has a  $7.45 million base salary for 2010. The Browns are more likely to release Anderson or restructure his deal.

During his talk, Kosar threw miniature footballs in the crowd. He made one long throw to the back of the room that brought cheers from the crowd, and this comment from Kosar:

"Tell Brady it's not that hard," Kosar said.

In an interview on WKNR-AM this morning, Kosar said:

I was joking today. You know when you give speeches . . . I was firing. I was throwing passes and having a blast. It was kind of fun to throw them underneath the chandeliers, . . literally throwing 30 yarders. There were no Marc Gastineaus or free agent Julius Peppers coming from the blind side.

I said a joke, "Tell Brady it's not that hard." They (Starting Blocks) wrote it like I was all serious. I was just joking around."

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(cleveland.com)

Q: What one thing got you to this financial stage? Kenny Bouy, Naples, FL
A: "The one thing, coming from Youngstown [Ohio] and being really family-oriented . . . my dad was a steel worker and when the mills closed in the early 80s my father didn't have a job. In the late 90s my brother lost his job in San Francisco. Trying to help everybody out and trying to support the family, and then coupled with the divorce, it made for a tough time helping and giving to so many family members who needed money. ... We also donated a lot to charities and foundations. My foundation has put hundreds of kids through college, mostly in the inner-city, in South Florida and northeastern Ohio. I like being involved in the continuing education of young kids."

Q: What schools recruited you besides the University of Miami? Rich M., Sunrise, FL
A: "In the Midwest in Ohio in the early 1980s, it wasn't the wish-bone, it was more of a running-type offense where the teams that were throwing were in the southeast and the far west. So California and Stanford were recruiting me. But, ironically, Mike Shanahan and Charlie Pell were the first two guys to recruit me at Gainesville. So it was UF, University of Miami and Cincinnati that were the teams I was looking at."

Q: What did you think of ESPN's 30-30 special about the Miami Hurricanes? Hurricanes fan, Deerfield Beach, FL
A: "I thought it was pretty accurate. They did a really nice job. Personally, I would have liked to have seen Jim Kelly and a little more with Howard Schnellenberger. I think they deserved more credit for their contributions to the rise of the program. I appreciate the credit, significance and respect that I received early in the show for starting it."

Q: Please tell me that you will be coaching soon at some level. Josh Dunham, Raleigh, NC
A: "Well, besides coaching youth football with my nine-year-old son's team in Weston [Fla.], I finished the last part of the year with the Cleveland Browns and with [owner] Randy Lerner and coach Eric Mangini. We brought in Mike Holmgren to really lead the team. But football is a big part of me. I love being part of it. Actually, this Saturday I'll be coaching with Howard Schnellenberger in the Texas vs. the nation Bowl game that gets kids ready for April's NFL Draft. But I love coaching and working with kids at any level. People get so preoccupied with the material aspect of things and the money and working all the time, I made a decision a few years ago that I wasn't going to miss my kids' childhood. I'm pretty proud of being actively involved with all of my kids. Coaching flag football for my son's team - there's nothing else I'd rather be doing on a Saturday afternoon. The affects we could have on kids, especially at that age, could last them a lifetime. Just like if you don't do it right, it could last negatively with them a lifetime. Kids today have so many challenges that we never had to deal with. If you could spend time with them and give them positive support, you could really make a difference."

Q: Do you still own a part of the Florida Panthers ? What was your role with the team? Jason Friedman, Tamarac, FL
A: "Yes. I really don't have much of a role with the organization. They really haven't used me much at all."

Q: I was wondering if you could give your account of the famous "Fake-spike" play from the Dolphins game against the Jets in 1994 as I know you suggested the play. I was in attendance that day and seeing the Dolphins shut up those Jets fans was one of my all-time favorite sports moments. Darryl Jacobsen, Hazlet, NJ
A: "What's interesting with that . . . not to be cocky but I have an NFL record with 489 yards passing in a playoff game and it was against the Jets in 1986. That was the first time we had run the clock play. But they ended up having it covered. Then for it to come back 10 years later was something special. I basically carried it with me in Cleveland, Dallas and then explaining it to Coach [ Don] Shula and Gary Stevens in Miami. They put it in the Dolphins' system. Dan Marino, myself and Gary Stevens had worked and practiced it all year during our two-minute drills. The timing for it was just perfect during that game. That was the first year, I think, that teams used headsets. So I was wired in on the headset to Marino during the game and we saw that Mark Ingram was on a rookie cornerback. So I called it in. It's one thing to call it . . . I'm kind of proud for conceptually coming up with it years ago, but nobody throws that fade pass any better than Marino."

Q: First of all I want to acknowledge how awesome you are and how much I enjoyed watching you in the early 80s when you played for the University of Miami. My questions to you is this: Having led UM to a championship in 1983 , and sparked the beginning of one of the great college football dynasties of all-time, what is Miami missing about their team currently that is not allowing for that same spark? Gus Villalobos, Aventura, FL
A: "I think UM is getting close. Randy Shannon has done a good job with recruiting. I think with coach [Mark] Whipple having another year in this system and working another year with Jacory Harris, we're going to have a special offense. I really do. I think we have a chance to see the UM offense of old next season. Jacory is going to be really good, and coach Whipple is going to give us the offense that UM fans have grown accustomed to loving. "

Q: Didn't you grow up playing baseball - not football? Dave, Westlake, OH
A: "Yes. As a matter of fact, I was offered a baseball scholarship to Michigan and played more baseball as a kid. When I got to high school, there's nothing like the adrenaline rush and fun you get from playing football. Whether it was playing in high school on Friday nights in Northeastern Ohio, to the Saturday afternoon of college football, to the Sunday afternoons in the NFL, to playing on Monday Night Football, there's not an experience like that in the world. I still miss it."

Q: Why were you always so good about signing autographs for fans? I wish more athletes would be like that. J.R, Miami Lakes, FL
A: "A lot of people aren't signing autographs today because of the market value for them, which is fine. But I've always felt that if you're blessed enough to play professional sports, you should do what you can to make the kids happy. A little kid will remember that. It takes you as much time to sign something then it does to say no. It takes 15 seconds, really, to sign something, be nice, ask them how they're doing in school and see the look in their eyes. And it can last with them a lifetime. I just want to have a positive impact any way I can. I'm proud to do stuff like that."

Q: How many concussions do you think you've had in your career? Rob, Melville, NY
A: "Oh, gosh. That's a tough one. It's interesting because when we were younger, even 10-15 years ago, you called them headaches. You didn't really understand what they were. Players wouldn't even think of coming out of games. I know, myself, I never missed a play because I hit my head. You felt like you were letting your teammates and the fans down. So you played through it and it causes some physical ailments as you get older. But that was a long time ago when we didn't know as much about the ramifications of playing through head injuries. We know a lot more today. ... But I don't recommend that for kids today. Head trauma at an early age could have disastrous effects for young kids."

Q: What role will you have on Mike Holmgren's staff with the Browns? Brian R., Columbus, OH
A: "I'm not sure yet. But I enjoy teaching the younger players, so working with the college kids and helping getting ready for the draft will hopefully be something I get to do with the team."

Q: How devastating was the "Flutie game" loss? Brian Crowley, Fort Lauderdale, FL
A: "That was the only game I celebrated early in my life. It was my birthday that day. With the 25th anniversary of that play, we've seen it a million times. I didn't see it the day of the game because I assumed with them backed up that far we wouldn't let anybody get behind them. It happened so quickly it was a shock when it happened. I just remember walking off the field and a teammate said to me, 'How does it feel to be six seconds from the Heisman?' It's funny today, but it wasn't so funny back then."

Q: Does it still hurt getting so close to leading the Browns to the Super Bowl in 1986 before coming up short? Mike, West Palm Beach, FL
A: "We have this thing where if you don't win the Super Bowl, your whole season is a failure. There's no doubt that's the goal. It was frustrating at the point of coming up short. When you look back at it, I'm more proud now of being in those AFC championship games. I was also happy to play in the NFC Championship game with Dallas because Troy [Aikman] got a concussion, and we beat San Francisco to get to the Super Bowl."

Q: I read about all the teeth you had knocked out over the years from playing football and how little of them you have left. Is that true? Richie, Coral Gables, FL
A: "Pretty much. I've had probably four or five of my back teeth knocked out, two are still missing, and five are fake. Because I audibled so much because Coach Shnellenberger and Coach Shula gave me the luxury of changing the play, the mouthpiece made me sound garbled. In these loud 80,000-seat stadiums, you need the guys to understand and hear you. So it just got to the point where I wasn't even wearing one because I audibled so much. For the kids out there, it was stupid and a mistake. It definitely caused more of the concussions and loss of teeth. I actually have saved all the teeth that have been knocked out and the screws and pins that have been taken out in surgeries. I also had surgery on my jaw multiple times because I cracked the bone four or five times from getting hit. I was so focused in on wanting to make good plays, and because I was so slow I knew I needed to get us in the right play all the time because I knew I couldn't run the ball."

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(sun-sentinel.com)

The financial woes continue for former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar Jr. as a Miami bank filed a $2 million foreclosure lawsuit targeting his home in Weston, Fla.

The Ocean Bank filed a lawsuit Jan. 7 in Broward County (Fla.) Circuit Court, seeking to seize the 9,901-square-foot house where Kosar resides.

After getting hit with several foreclosure lawsuits on real estate developments in 2008, Kosar filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in June. The bankruptcy was converted last week to a Chapter 7 liquidation of assets.

Among the $18.9 million in debt facing Kosar, Ocean Bank is listed as a secured creditor with a $2 million claim on his house. He listed assets of $9.2 million, including a minority ownership stake in the Florida Panthers professional hockey team.

Attorney Louis Nicholas II said the Ocean Bank got a stay from the bankruptcy case so it could foreclose on Kosar’s house. While it can take the property, it can’t hold the former University of Miami player personally liable for a deficiency judgment, which occurs if the bank can’t recover the full value of the mortgage when it disposes of the house. Nicholas said it’s possible the deficiency judgment could become an unsecured claim in the bankruptcy case.

Attorney Julianne Frank, who represents Kosar in the Chapter 7 case, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

After his stint with the Browns, Kosar played for the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins.



(bizjournals.com)

Former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar had his bankruptcy converted to a liquidation after a judge granted a court-appointed trustee's request.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Raymond B. Ray in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., ordered Kosar's bankruptcy case to be changed to Chapter 7, according to court papers filed Jan. 6. Under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, a trustee is automatically appointed to sell assets and distribute the proceeds to creditors.

Kosar filed for bankruptcy protection June 19 along with three of his companies seeking to restructure his debt under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, court papers show. Businesses and some individuals use Chapter 11 to reorganize their financial affairs. Kosar listed $9.2 million in assets and $18.9 million in debt in court documents filed Sept. 23.

The most effective and efficient method to liquidating Kosar's assets is through a Chapter 7, Robert C. Furr, the Chapter 11 trustee appointed in October said in court filings.

Kosar had a Chapter 11 trustee appointed to take over and manage his case, at the request of his ex-wife, Babette Kosar, court papers show. Babette is owed about $3 million from a divorce settlement.

Kosar does not have any business prospects which justify the reorganization effort, and as of Nov. 1 he had missed child support payments totaling $105,000, Furr said in court papers.

Kosar, 46, started his 12-year NFL career with the Browns in 1985. He led the team to the playoffs in each of his first five seasons.

Before the appointment of the Chapter 11 trustee Kosar's lawyers filed what they called a "hybrid" plan to satisfy creditors' claims. Under the proposed plan his companies' assets, including a 6 percent interest in the NHL's 'Florida Panthers valued at $14.4 million, would be liquidated while he would keep assets including his NFL pension and a vehicle, according to court documents filed Sept. 30.

Kosar expects to make about $24,000 per month from radio and personal appearances and from providing services to companies such as Longaberger, court papers show. Kosar, who owes at least $15,000 per month for child support, estimates his monthly expenses at $13,800, leaving him about $11,000 to divide among his ex-wife and unsecured creditors.

(clevelandplaindealer.com)