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.



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

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.

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



(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."

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



(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."

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



(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."

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



(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."

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



(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)

The owner of the Cleveland Browns, Randy Lerner, supposedly met with former Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis recently to talk about bringing him on as an offensive coordinator once he cans current coach Eric Mangini. Lerner towed along Bernie Kosar to the meeting and now word is coming via ProFootballTalk that Kosar could be in line to be a big part of the Browns' decision-making process soon enough.

Nobody seems to know if Kosar would actually be put into a role as big as general manager, but Kosar does seem to have the ear and trust of Lerner.

Lerner has also supposedly asked a few people to come interview for a czarlike position over the team such as Bill Parcells has with the Miami Dolphins but they have all declined.

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



(sports.yahoo.com)

Bernie Kosar says Browns owner Randy Lerner is actively talking to potential football operations hires but isn’t sneaking around.

“He’s just sick being 1-11, but he’s not going to break the rules to go do stuff,” Kosar, an adviser to Lerner, said this morning on WKNR. “But if there are guys out there, you’re allowed to talk to, or teams have given permission. ... Yeah, he’s starting to look for those type guys, because we need to define especially the football operations side of the team.”

Lerner is seeking a football operations leader and perhaps entourage to help dig the team out of a cold spell that includes 17 losses in the last 18 games. Head Coach Eric Mangini’s fate probably rides on the eventual front-office hires.

WKNR host Tony Rizzo asked Kosar if it will be hard to attract quality people to a franchise that has tasted so much defeat.

“Because it’s been so bad for so long,” Kosar said, “the guys have nowhere to go but up.

“Because of (Lerner’s) reputation in the inner circle of the league ... of being able to spend and wanting to spend money, that’s one thing in the Browns favor and in his favor.

“And the other thing is, there’s 11 draft picks next year. I think Eric (Mangini) started last year with four picks. You can’t build a good team with four, five and six draft picks.

“I think there’s people who would really enjoy that challenge.”

Kosar, who quarterbacked the 1980s Browns to three AFC championship games, said he has worked more closely with Lerner in “the last month or two” than ever before. He said he does not know what his role with the team will be next year, but ...

“I really want to do football stuff,” Kosar said. “I do love it. I feel like I get it. And I do want to be involved.”

Kosar shed little light on Mangini’s future, but he made it clear that the Browns’ somewhat competitive loss to San Diego on Sunday only counts for so much.

“I try to stay away from when-I-played type of statements,” he said, “but these type (seasons) happened at times with me in my career, and I remember arguing with some front-office people because ‘we almost won a game.’ And they were happy. They thought they saved their jobs. And I wanted to throw up on ’em to be honest with you.

“College football and high school football is somewhat about sportsmanship and competition and the purity of the game. Pro football’s not. Pro football’s about winning and losing.

“Almost wins don’t count in the NFL.”

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



(cantonrep.com)

So, what are the Browns playing for? The draft. Head Coach Eric Mangini won't say it. Bernie Kosar, a consultant reporting to owner Randy Lerner, said as much on WKNR-AM 850: "We've got as many picks as anybody (11) in the draft. We've got to get that right, and we've got to get that focus right, or you're heading for another season like this." The Browns are in the hunt for the No. 1 overall pick, currently tied with St. Louis and Tampa Bay for the worst record in the league. Among the contenders for the top draft slow, Detroit might be the likeliest to lose out. The Lions face playoff contenders the next four weeks, then finish against the Bears. The Buccaneers have a game left against the unbeaten Saints, but they also have three games against teams with losing records. The Rams have three games left against 5-6 teams and one against the 4-7 Bears. The Browns have games left against San Diego (8-3), Pittsburgh (6-5), Kansas City (3-8), Oakland (3-8) and Jacksonville (6-5). If teams finish with the same record, head-to-head competition, such as the Lions beating the Browns, has nothing to do with draft position. The tie-breaker is strength of schedule. The team that played a weaker schedule drafts higher.

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



(cantonrepository.com)

As Peter King first reported on Saturday, Browns owner Randy Lerner is looking to hire a "football czar" who would help turn around the franchise.

But with former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar already wedging a foot in the door, the football czar will have to find a way to navigate Kosar's expectations.

Though Kosar's expectations remain to be seen, he seems to be interested in being the General Manager of the team.

"Part of me wants to do it," Kosar told Tony Rizzo of ESPN 850 in Cleveland, "but you have to see who you are working with and what say and what amount of organization and control and decision-making abilities you are going to be able to have."

Frankly, Kosar should have none.  Though some former players have become highly competent executives (including former Browns tight end and current Ravens G.M. Ozzie Newsome), a guy doesn't just show up and become an expert in running a football team -- especially when that guy's personal finances are in shambles.

So just like the "football czar" will be relied upon to help Lerner extricate himself from a bad situation with coach Eric Mangini, Lerner also might need said czar to find a way to keep Kosar from getting his fingerprints all over the franchise.



(profootballtalk.com)

Bernie Kosar wants to make it clear he's not an employee of the Browns.  He's "been in the building a lot," but he's just a consultant.  When asked on ESPN Cleveland this week what that means exactly, Kosar was vague.

"I don't know.  It's evolving," Kosar said.  "People think that I've got a master plan and 'Bernie's being secretive.' Sometimes in life, there are things that go beyond football. There's personal issues that evolve. Things happen to people that are beyond football. . . . There's other things going on with people, their own personal health, and their families that override football. You have to be really, really, be careful about what you say."

Kosar joked that he recently learned how to tie a tie as part of his evolving role.  His comments on the thought process behind G.M. George Kokinis' firing were the most revealing of his 15 minute interview.  Kosar describes a situation where coach Eric Mangini and owner Randy Lerner remain in step.

"[Lerner] and coach Eric have been on the same page in terms of - [Lerner] hasn't undermined Eric's authority, he hasn't undermined the coach's power.  This is a decision with the general manager that both of them was the best of the team," Kosar said.  "Players, if they aren't doing their job, and they aren't getting their job done, they get cut.  It's got to be the same in the personnel department."

That may be true, but it's fair to wonder whether a possible "football czar" will cut Mangini. 

The coach seems safe for the rest of the 2009 season, so he has to decide what to do at the quarterback position.  Kosar said that he doesn't see a rift between Mangini and Brady Quinn, but that Mangini hasn't decided who will start at quarterback after Cleveland's bye. 

Kosar knows all about quarterback drama in Cleveland.  16 years ago today, Kosar started his final game as a Brown.  Bill Belichick cut him shortly thereafter in a wildly controversial move and is still not a favorite among Browns fans because of it.  Belichick and Mangini have that much in common.



(profootballtalk.com)

In a season that has already lost the interest of many fans because of the team’s monumental struggles, one of the most interesting things to watch play out will be how much influence – if any – the hiring of former quarterback Bernie Kosar as a consultant to team owner Randy Lerner will have on the day-to-day operations of the Browns, both on and off the field.

Last Friday during his weekly media availability, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was asked what he thought of bringing in Kosar. He said all the right things, but it was clear from the surprised and serious look on his face that the inquiry had hit a nerve.

If you’re the coordinator – especially the first-year coordinator -- of an offense that is ranked at or near the bottom of the NFL in most statistical categories, the last thing you want is someone being brought in who has a strong – and we do mean strong – offensive resume to look over your shoulder. To make matters worse, Kosar, in his previous unofficial role as advisor or consultant, has for years had the ear of Lerner. There’s a strong kinship between the two. They are about the same age, have the same love for the Browns and have been going through some of the same unfortunate personal issues recently

Kosar sits with Lerner in the owner’s box on game day. So when Lerner watches the offense continue to struggle and struggle and struggle and asks honest questions of Kosar as to the reasons why, the ex-quarterback’s honest answers, if he chooses to answer that way and cut straight to the point, may not reflect well on the current offensive coaches.

Or head coach Eric Mangini.

Up until the arrival of Kosar, Mangini had been given a free hand to re-construct the team – and the football end of the organization – the way he saw fit. That’s the norm for any new coach coming in. He has to be given a chance to fully implement his program and people. That’s especially true for a team such as the Browns, who were 4-12 last season after losing their last six games and not scoring an offensive touchdown in the process.

And Mangini has done a thorough job of eradicating most of what he inherited as he tries to build a new foundation and move forward with it. He has said many times that he has great respect for the Browns’ tradition, but always adds that what went on with the team before he arrived, in terms of negative issues, is not his problem. He’s concerned only about what has gone on during his watch.

Understandable.

However, in bringing in Kosar in an official capacity, the Browns have for the first time in the nine months the coach has been on the job, incorporated an “outsider” into the football end of the operation – that is, someone Mangini didn’t hire and probably never would have hired. Because Kosar reports directly to Lerner, Mangini has no say or control over what he says or does.

Now, Lerner has for a long time wanted to hire Kosar, but the native of Boardman Township in suburban Youngstown, Ohio always had family responsibilities that kept him from making the needed commitment. But he has somehow finally been able to work around that.

However, the timing of his arrival is interesting in that it comes at a time when the Browns are en route to setting all kinds of team records for low offensive production, both for the team and, in some cases, individually, especially at quarterback.

If the offensive problems continue and the outcry from the fans – and media – gets more and more pronounced, then it will be up to Lerner as to how much he stock he puts in what Kosar is telling him and then takes action on it.

Even if little – or even nothing – happens in that regard, Kosar’s mere presence is something that Mangini and his people do not want, but must be constantly wary of. Although the coach and his staff would never consider any suggestions from Kosar, there is always now the possibility that Lerner will. He’s a hands-off owner who would never mandate his coaching staff to do anything, but he could suggest it, if only in a roundabout way so as to not appear to be meddling.

Keep this in mind: There is absolutely no question that Lerner desperately wants to get the Browns righted, and if that means making some tough decisions – or even simply adjustments to the way things have done since Mangini arrived – then so be it. The bottom line – on the football field, that is – is all that matters to him, and he is willing to spend – and has been spending – the money needed to make the Browns successful.

The hiring of Kosar also has to be looked at from the standpoint it coincides almost simultaneously with the recent dismissal of director of team operations Erin O’Brien. For those who came to training camp, she was the person running the audio board and playing the musical selections that, at Mangini’s orders, blared at various times during practice. She is the first person brought in by Mangini to have been let go by the club.

So there have now been two actions Mangini didn’t want – the arrival of someone he didn’t hire, and the removal of someone he did hire.

Are they connected in some way? Would either of the moves have occurred if the Browns were 6-1 instead of 1-6?
We’ll never know. But at least the moves, especially the one involving Kosar – and why they may have been done – give Browns fans something interesting to chew on in a season that has been – and may continue to be – otherwise hard to swallow



(cle.scout.com)

With three failing companies swamped by bankruptcy proceedings in Florida,  Bernie needed a break. And he got one. Bernie Kosar is rejoining the NFL team he took to the playoffs in his first five seasons as a player.

Although the details of the arrangement remain it vague, it appears the Weston resident and former U. Miami and Cleveland Browns quarterback will be an adviser to Browns owner Randy Lerner, based on this Yahoo Sports report. Football advising, we presume. Not financial advising.

Last week, a Fort Lauderdale bankruptcy judge appointed a trustee, requested by Kosar's ex-wife Babette J. Kosar, to take over the case, saying the 45-year-old former NFL star has "demonstrated no ability to manage his affairs."

Kosar currently owes his ex an estimated $3 million from their divorce settlement. Adding to the laundry list of debt, Kosar and three of his companies sought refuge under Chapter 11's bankruptcy protection. In court documents filed in late September, Kosar lists $9.2 million in assets and $18.9 million in debt.

During his 12-year career with the Browns, Kosar was selected to the 1987 Pro Bowl and broke records in 1990 and 1991 by completing 308 passes without a single interception. In short, he took care of the football a lot better than he could take care of his bank accounts.



(browardpalmbeach.com)

The front office of the Browns made a very subtle change a couple weeks ago when it invited one of its own to help.

Now the question becomes how significant the change becomes in the long term.

Bernie Kosar acknowledged in a phone interview on Friday that he would like to grow his consulting role into a full-time gig.

How that plays out, though, not even Kosar is sure.

''I'd like to see how I'm fitting and see where I could genuinely help,'' Kosar said from South Florida en route to parent-teacher conferences at his kids' school. ''Right now, because it's the season, it's hard to do that.''

Kosar said he got a surprising call to ''consult'' from team owner Randy Lerner shortly after the loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. At that point, the Browns were 0-4 and exulting over losing close to the Bengals at home.

But Lerner has to be well aware that it was his decision to hire coach Eric Mangini, and if it doesn't work it falls on him.

Asking Kosar to help might be the first step in recognizing the situation needs shoring.

The Browns did not publicize the move, nor did Kosar, who preferred to keep it quiet. But since the Plain Dealer first reported the story a week ago, Kosar has been upfront about the situation.

Kosar has longed to help his beloved Browns since 1999, when he supported the Carmen Policy-Al Lerner ownership group.

He was involved on the periphery, but never in the building doing what he's doing now. He has no title, and he said that's fine.

The past few years were tumultuous for him, as he struggled through a difficult divorce he did not want. He recently had to file for personal bankruptcy - and included in the list of debts was $1 million owed to the Browns.

He said things have settled down, and he feels better able to contribute.

''The first thing right now is analyzing and learning what it is we do and what it's called,'' Kosar said. ''The system is pretty intricate and there's a million calls. You can't talk coaching lingo unless you know that stuff. So I have to look at the film and learn the playbook.

''Then I've been trying to get ready for the offseason and how we're going to balance that, because the coaches have to focus solely on Green Bay.''

This sounds like a man who is involved. Learning the system should not be too difficult. Kosar always has been a quick study, and he has a football mind.

Now comes the challenge of translating that football IQ into positive action with a losing team that lacks playmakers.

But it's also delicate, because Mangini and General Manager George Kokinis were hired to do a job, and the appearance that Kosar is looking over their shoulders would not be good for anyone - Kosar included.

That's probably why Kosar stressed positives. Among them the play of center Alex Mack.

Kosar said a team needs ''core, foundation, tough guys in the middle'' and added ''you could make a case to keep the fifth pick and take someone who's more 'sexy,' but I'm glad we have Alex Mack.''



(fox8.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar has reached a working agreement with owner Randy Lerner to serve as a team consultant.

No formal announcement may be made and no specific duties have been outlined. But the two men reached an accord last week and Kosar spent several days in the inner sanctum of the football organization now controlled by coach Eric Mangini.

According to a league source, Lerner values Kosar as "another set of eyes." Kosar essentially reports to the owner.
Lerner has tried to woo Kosar into a role with the Browns for several years, including an informal overture to be club president a few years ago. But Kosar consistently declined to relocate from his home base in Weston, Fla., because of business and personal commitments.

Kosar, 45, has gone through some highly publicized tough times, first a messy divorce from his wife, Babette, and then personal bankruptcy. In the bankruptcy filing in June, Kosar listed $1.5 million in debt owed the Browns.

In between those traumatic changes of life, Kosar acquired executive experience as president of the Cleveland Gladiators. The club folded after one season when the Arena Football League went out of business.

"I've got a little more time now to do it," Kosar said of accepting Lerner's invitation. "I'm getting my personal life in order. I still miss football and the Arena thing whetted my appetite."

Kosar said he was unsure how much time he would spend in Cleveland. He has four children living in Weston. He said he doesn't know where the situation will lead.

"I want to make sure it's comfortable as a fit and make sure I can help," he said. "I want to be sensitive to all the time and work the coaches put into the job. They've been great to me."

Kosar does not have a history with Mangini, who joined the old Browns as a ballboy and then PR intern in 1994 -- the season after Kosar was released. Mangini, of course, would then be taken under the wing of coach Bill Belichick, with whom Kosar sparred.

The irony is that Kosar and Belichick grew closer long after their infamous parting and Mangini and Belichick grew far apart. The common ground of Belichick and Mangini is their insistence on strict discipline to build a solid team structure.

Truth is, Kosar always respected that aspect of Belichick's coaching.

"He knows you need structure in order to win," a league source closely familiar with Kosar said. "When you don't have structure, it becomes chaos."

Nobody knows how this dynamic will work in Lerner's organization chart. On the business side is President Mike Keenan and David Jenkins, vice president of finance and administration. On the football side is Mangini, General Manager George Kokinis, and Dawn Aponte, vice president of football administration.

Then there's Kosar and Jim Brown, executive advisor, reporting directly to Lerner.



(cleveland.com)

Bernie Kosar, the former quarterback for the National Football League's Cleveland Browns, filed a plan to satisfy creditors’ claims by liquidating his bankrupt companies and investments, while retaining some assets.

Kosar’s lawyers called the proposal a “hybrid” plan in which his companies’ assets would be liquidated to repay creditors and he would keep assets including his NFL pension and a vehicle, according to court documents filed Sept. 30.

Kosar’s ex-wife, Babette J. Kosar, wants the court to appoint a trustee to take over the case and liquidate his assets to distribute to creditors, saying in court papers “he has demonstrated no ability to manage his affairs,” and his “conduct constitutes gross mismanagement and/or fraud.” Babette is owed about $3 million from a divorce settlement.

In Chapter 11 documents filed June 19 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Fort Lauderdale, Kosar listed debt of as much as $50 million and assets of less than $10 million. Three of Kosar’s companies, KHOC LLC, BJK LLC and Mantua Land Co., also filed for bankruptcy.

Born in 1963 in Boardman, Ohio, Kosar started his 12-year career with the Cleveland Browns in 1985. He finished second in almost all statistical categories for quarterback in the team’s history, according to the Cleveland Browns Web site. He earned a Pro Bowl selection in 1987, and set a league record in 1990 and 1991 by completing 308 passes without an interception. He led the Browns to the playoffs in each of his first five seasons.

‘The Drive’
Kosar played opposite Denver Broncos’ Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway in the 1986 American Football Conference Championship game, made famous by “The Drive,” which ended in a 23-20 overtime defeat for the Browns. At the University of Miami, Kosar led the team to its first National Collegiate Athletic Association championship, beating the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who had won 22 consecutive games.

Under his bankruptcy plan, Kosar would seek to hire CB Richard Ellis Group Inc.. to help auction and sell Mantua Land and BJK properties and repay their creditors.

Mantua Land owns four parcels of developed and undeveloped land totaling 315 acres in Mantua, Ohio. KeyBank NA holds a $3.1 million claim against Mantua Land for a mortgage on the assets.

BJK owns 140 acres of land in Fort Pierce, Florida, that was part of a proposed development called Creekside. National City Bank, BJK’s lender, is owed $4.3 million, and Creekside Community Development District is owed about $4.9 million from a bond offering.

Florida Panthers
KHOC owns a 6 percent interest in the National Hockey Leagues’ Florida Panthers valued at $14.4 million, according to court documents. After paying creditors KeyBank and Panthers Hockey LLP, which owns the Panthers, the proceeds of a sale would be used to pay Babette Kosar’s claim. The rest would be split among unsecured creditors and Kosar, court papers show.

Kosar expects to make about $24,000 a 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 a 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.



(cleveland.com)

Q: Who has helped you make the transition? Any former Canes teaching you? JG: "One of the biggest helpers I've had is Bernie Kosar. I talk to him quite a bit. He's really helped me out a lot, teaching me little things. He's really been teaching me the game. He always tells me I have great hands. He talks about keeping the beginning of your route the same so people can't predict that. Also, how quickly to come out of a break and how quickly the ball is going to be on you and just getting used to that. I've also had a little help from Ed Reed, teaching me how to read defenses. You have to be able to read safeties and linebackers. It's a lot more than five people. I'm just getting used to that."

Q: What about film? Who are you studying? JG: "I've watched more films in the tight ends in the last couple months than ever before. Kellen Winslow. I've been watching a lot on Greg Olsen. Bubba Franks. Bubba was the man. The good thing is there is so much film to watch. It's not like I have to search for it. It's easy to find."

Click here to read the rest of the interview.



(miamiherald.com)

Bernie Kosar, the former professional football quarterback who entered Chapter 11 protection on June 19, said in a court filing that his personal business income was $1,000 from the time he entered bankruptcy until the end of the month. The income came from an appearance on The Drew Carey Show. Kosar listed assets of $9.1 million against debt totaling $18.9 million. Kosar filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in Fort Lauderdale.

A filing in the bankruptcy of KHOC LLC, which holds Kosar's interest in the Florida Panthers, valued his 6 percent interest in the hockey team at $14.4 million. The team is reportedly close to being sold for $240 million.



(miamiherald.com)

Like quarterback Dan Marino, former NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar has a home in Weston, Florida for sale. But Kosar's situation is a bit more urgent. Kosar has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with his top 20 debts clicking in at $19.5 million including around $1.5 million to his former team the Cleveland Browns. Small wonder then that his Florida home is up for sale. Kosar has not paid the property taxes on the home for the last couple of years.

Kosar's home in Weston is a 9,900 square-foot mansion on the lake which has a large backyard area with a summer kitchen, pool, spa and cabanas. It is located in the same community, Windmill Ranch Estates, that Marino lives in and the home has a similar Florida Mediterranean style. This ample residence includes an office/library, a kitchen and a separate butler's kitchen and seven bedrooms. This home is listed at $3.5 million.

Kosar's financial woes seem to stem from a number of factors including Florida's depressed real estate market and some bad investing advice. His top creditor is Florida Bank which is owed $9.7 million in real estate development foreclosures. He also owed KeyBank $3.2 million for loan guarantees and a personal line of credit and owes his ex-wife Babette Kosar $3 million from the couple's divorce settlement. Like many ex-football players, he was also in the restaurant business. His Bernie's Steakhouse, a Miami-area restaurant closed last year. Kosar is said to be optimistic about his ability to get out from under his debt and he has many supporters in Cleveland and elsewhere cheering him on.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE GALLERY OF KOSAR’S HOME.



(luxist.com)

When Bernie Kosar drafted the Browns in the mid-1980s, making an end run around the rules to play for his boyhood team, it seemed like just another way he had gotten the better of life.

Ernie Accorsi, the Browns' general manager, gave him No. 19, which the best quarterback he had ever seen, John Unitas, had worn. Johnny U. was another guy long on heart and football smarts, who got knocked around hard inside the lines and harder outside them.

Today, Kosar, who graduated from the University of Miami in 2 1/2 years as a business major and made millions, only to lose more in bad investments and worse loans, is bankrupt. The same thing happened to Unitas.

Bankruptcy is hard to believe with Kosar because he never had Unitas' arm and had to rely on his wits. No one ever presented a Bernie Kosar Golden Arm award, as with Unitas. But there was a disconnect in both between football genius and the ability to function away from the roars. In life, neither called the signals.

The Plain Dealer's front page in 1993 the day after the Browns released quarterback Bernie Kosar.

Bernie had to out-think, out-study and out-improvise better athletes. But it is not his playbook anymore. On the field, he bled for his fame. Off it, with a body broken by 273 sacks absorbed in 126 career games, he is still taking punishment.

One of the joys of his life is when he gets his say, albeit briefly, about football. It is a privilege to hear Kosar do television commentary for Browns exhibition games. Since the Browns are seldom in the playoff race, they get network broadcast teams during the season that make you want to hit the "mute" button. No one on TV is as good on them as Kosar.

That ability to de-mystify a complex position like quarterback is why I still think he could be a great addition to the Browns as a quarterback consultant.

It should have happened years ago, although there were reasons, both fair and unfair, why it didn't. He endorsed the ownership team of Al Lerner and Carmen Policy, then they put him on a wrecker's hook and took him to a junkyard. There was only going to be one star in the Browns' organization then, and it was the empty suit that was Policy.

At the same time, Kosar already had the slurred words that still characterize his speech. There were all kinds of rumors of all kinds of addictions. There was speculation about too many blows to the head, too. Yet the man could brilliantly explain X's and O's in layman's terms.

As a player, he was very egotistical. But he had to believe in himself because, given his physical deficits, no one else would. He fought with his coaches to use more audacious game plans. Famously, his final play with the Browns was one he drew up in the dirt. It went for a touchdown.

It was painful years ago when he pleaded for a job in my column, noting that he had been cheered, been booed, been a hero, been a goat, and that he could help Tim Couch as he went through the same things. No one was interested.

The current secretive, lock-down Browns probably do not have the self-confidence to employ such a strong-willed, independent thinker, especially since part of his bankruptcy plea was his failed payment of over $1 million to the team. My guess is that it is for the stadium loge he once used.

I'm just saying he let plenty of people use him first.



(cleveland.com)

Besides the personal bankruptcy petition Bernie Kosar filed Friday, three companies he owns or controls have filed for Chapter 11.

KHOC LLC, BJK LLC and Mantua Land Co., which list their addresses as Kosar's Weston home, are seeking to reorganize their debts under bankruptcy-court protection in Fort Lauderdale.

Julianne R. Frank, Kosar's lawyer, has asked the court to consolidate the four cases. Frank, in an interview Monday, said she's hopeful Kosar's equity in the companies ``will put us in a position to consummate a successful restructuring.''

KHOC holds Kosar's interest in the Florida Panthers, which reportedly is close to being sold for $240 million. Kosar is a minority owner in the hockey team.

BJK owns interests in various properties in St. Lucie County, while Mantua Land owns property in Ohio, Frank said.
Kosar, who was born in Ohio, starred at quarterback for the University of Miami and in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns. He also played for the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins before retiring in 1996. He has had various business interests since leaving football.

In a statement released Friday, Frank's law firm said the recession and the collapse of the real estate market were to blame for forcing Kosar to file for bankruptcy so he could attempt to restructure his personal and business financial affairs.

Kosar's personal bankruptcy case listed unsecured creditors with about $19.5 million in claims.



(miamiherald.com)

The IRS and the creditors and an angry ex-wife and an avalanche of attorneys are circling the chaos that used to be Bernie Kosar's glamorous life, but that's not the source of his anxiety at the moment. He is doing a labored lap inside his Weston mansion, the one on the lake near the equestrian playpen for horses, because he wants to be sure there are no teenage boys hiding, attempting to get too close to his three daughters. He shattered a Kid Rock-autographed guitar the other day while chasing one teenager out of his house because he doesn't mind all of the other boys within the area code thinking the Kosar girls have an unhinged Dad.

''There are a million doors in this place,'' he says. ``Too many ways to get in.''

So up and down the spiral staircases he goes, a rumpled mess wearing a wrinkled golf shirt, disheveled graying hair, and the scars and weariness from a lifetime's worth of beatings. He has no shoes on, just white socks with the NFL logo stitched on because he's never really been able to let go of who he used to be. He is coughing up phlegm from a sickness he is certain arrived with all the recent stress of divorce and debt, and now he doesn't walk so much as wobble his way into one of the closets upstairs, where he happens upon some painful, wonderful memories he keeps sealed in a plastic cup.

His teeth are in there. So is the surgical screw that finally broke through the skin in his ankle because of how crooked he walked for years. He broke that ankle in the first quarter of a game against the Dolphins in 1992; he threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter anyway. Don Shula called him the following day to salute him on being so tough, but Kosar is paying for it with every step he takes today on uneven footing. The old quarterback shakes the rattling cup, then grins. There are about as many real teeth in the cup as there are in what remains of his smile.

''I never wore a mouthpiece,'' he says. ``I had to live and die with my audibles. We played on pavement/AstroTurf back then. Getting hit by Lawrence Taylor was only the beginning of the problem.''

So much pain in his life. He heads back downstairs gingerly.

''I need hip replacement,'' he says.

He pulls his jeans down a bit to reveal the scar from the surgery to repair his broken back.

''Disks fused together,'' he says.

Concussions?

''A lot,'' he says. ``I don't know how many.''

He holds out all 10 gnarled fingers. ''All of these have been broken at least once,'' he says. ``Most of them twice.''

Broke both wrists, too.

The game was fast and muscled. He was neither. He was always the giraffe trying to survive among lions. Still is, really. He has merely traded one cutthroat arena in which people compete for big dollars for another, and today's is a hell of a lot less fun than the one that made him famous. More painful, too, oddly enough.

Kosar holds up his left arm and points to the scar on his elbow.

''Have a cadaver's ligament in there,'' he says.

And that's the good arm. He bends over and lets both arms hang in front of him. His throwing arm is as crooked as a boomerang.

''I can't straighten it,'' he says. ``I started breaking at 30 years old. Once you start breaking, you keep breaking.''

The doorbell rings. It's his assistant with the papers he needs to autograph. She puts all the legalese from four folders in front of him on a coffee table that is low to the ground. A groaning Kosar, 45, gets down very slowly onto the rug until he is symbolically on his hands and knees at the center of what used to be his glamorous life. And then he signs the documents that begin the process of filing for bankruptcy.

''Let me tell you something, bro,'' he says. ``It was all worth it.''

UNTIL THE BITTER END
Brett Favre has made a spectacular public mess of his career punctuation because of how very hard it is for even the strongest among us to leave behind the applause for good. It is difficult for any man to retire when so much of his identity and self-worth and validation is tied up in his job, what he does invariably becoming a lopsided amount of who he is. But it is especially hard on quarterbacks because of how much of America's most popular game they literally hold in their hands. That kind of control -- over other strong men, over huddles, over winning, over entire swaying stadiums and their surrounding cities -- is just about impossible to let go . . . as is the attendant attention, ego, importance, popularity, fun and life. Running backs retire early sometimes because of the beatings, but quarterbacks never do. Joe Namath finished wearing a Rams helmet, Joe Montana ended with the Chiefs after 40, and Dan Marino got pushed out after losing 62-7 -- and now Favre wanders the earth so lost and searching that he's about to put on the uniform of his greatest enemy. Kings don't quit kingdoms voluntarily.

But there's no preparing you for the silence that comes after all you've heard is cheering. A quarterback will never feel more alive anywhere than he does at the conquering center of everything in sports. His is by consensus the most difficult job in athletics, and it requires an obsessive-compulsive attention to detail. The most diligent and consumed become Peyton Manning and Tom Brady; the talented and lazy become Ryan Leaf. And sometimes they sculpt their singular and all-consuming skill to the detriment of the balance needed for the rest of life's tacklers. Bills? Errands? Adulthood? Those things get handed off sometimes because, whether it is the offensive line or family and friends huddled around their income source, the quarterback must always be protected or everyone loses.

ON AND OFF THE FIELD
Kosar was one of the smart ones. He graduated from the University of Miami in 2 ½ years. He was smart enough to go a record 308 pass attempts without an interception. Smart enough to help build several businesses after football, with a 6 percent interest in a customer-service outsourcing company that sold for more than $500 million. Smart enough to have a wing of the business school at the University of Miami named after him. But now that the maids and wife are gone, you know how he feels walking into a grocery store by himself for the first time?

''Overwhelmed,'' he says.

He is like an embryo in the real world. The huddle gave him strength and purpose and enough fame and money that he never had to do much of anything for himself. Never had to grow, really, as anything but a quarterback. He says his kids (ages 17, 16, 12 and 9) grew up in a world where ''their idea of work was telling the maid to clean their room.'' And even the live-in maids had assistants. So now they're all trying to figure it out together, four kids led by a 45-year-old one.

Do you know how to wash clothes, Bernie?

''No,'' he says.

Iron a shirt?

''No,'' he says.

Start the dishwasher?

''No,'' he says.

He just learned the other day, after much trying and failing, how to make his own coffee. This is a man who owned his own jet and helped found companies, plural. But when his new girlfriend came over recently and found him trying to cook with his daughters, she couldn't believe what was on the kitchen island to cut the French bread. A saw.

''I was 25 and everyone was telling me that I was the smartest; now I'm 45 and realize I'm an idiot,'' he says. ``I'm 45 and immature. I don't like being 45.''

He still finds himself doodling plays on napkins in the kitchen. Running companies doesn't feel as rewarding as working with a high school or college tight end on routes. The only post-quarterback jobs that have given him any sort of joy are the ones near football: broadcasting Cleveland Browns games; running a company that created football websites and magazines; buying an Arena Football League team. But it isn't the same. Not nearly. As he tries to reorganize his life in a dark period that leaves his mind racing and sleepless, the people he quotes aren't philosophers and poets. They are coaches.

Like when he was at the University of Miami, for example. He was the weakest kid on the team. He was mortified when his statuesque competition, Vinny Testaverde, walked onto campus and bench-pressed 325 pounds a bunch of times. Kosar got 185 up just once, with arms shaking. So he went to Coach Howard Schnellenberger and, sweating and trying not to tremble, told him he was going to transfer. And now he quotes the old pipe-smoking coach and applies those lessons from nearly three decades ago to today: ``Son, I'm not going to lie. It doesn't look good for you. But wherever you go in life, there's competition. The guys who run home to mommy tend to be quitters their whole life.''

Kosar won. Won huge. Won the job and the national championship in a flabbergasting upset of Nebraska to begin Miami's unprecedented football run through the next two decades.

That seems like so long ago. As creditors close in and his divorce has gotten messy in public, Kosar has had some suicidal thoughts, but he says, 'I couldn't quit on my kids. I'm not a quitter. I'm not going to quit on them or me. I got here with hard work. I'll get out of this with hard work. No wallowing. No `woe is me.' I'm great at making money. And, as we've found out, I'm great at spending it. What I'm not great at is managing it.''

THE PANGS OF LOSS
It is hard to believe he filed a bankruptcy petition on Friday, but a bad economy, bad advice, a bad divorce and a bad habit of not being able to say ''no'' have ravaged him. He says financial advisors he loved and trusted mismanaged his funds, doing things like losing $15 million in one quick burst. There's a $4.2 million judgment against him from one bank. A failed real-estate project in Tampa involving multi-family properties. A steakhouse collapsing with a lawsuit. Tax trouble.

His finances have never been something he controlled. He graduated on July 14, 1985, was at two-a-day NFL workouts six days later, and immediately got on the learning treadmill at full speed, always feeling like he was catching up because his team wasn't very good; and his receivers were worse than the ones he had at UM, and everyone on the other side of the ball was very fast, and he was very slow, and the only advantage he would have was being smarter. Dad would handle the bills; the son had to handle the Bills.

And he was always rewarded for being consumed that way. That's how the weakest and least physically gifted guy on the field once threw for 489 yards in an NFL playoff game. But that huddle eventually breaks, and the men who formed it break, too. Depression. Drugs. Drinking. Divorce. You'll find it all as retired football players cope with the kinds of losses teammates can't help you with -- a loss of identity, self-worth, youth, relevance.

A recent Sports Illustrated article estimated that, within two years of leaving football, an astounding 78 percent of players are either bankrupt or in financial distress over joblessness and divorce. And over the years, a lot of those old teammates have asked Kosar to borrow a hundred grand here, a hundred-fifty grand there. He knew then that he wouldn't be getting it back. But, as the quarterback -- always the quarterback -- you help your teammates up.
How much has he lent teammates over the years without being repaid?

''Eight figures,'' he says.

Friends and family?

''Eight figures,'' he says.

Charities, while putting nearly 100 kids through school on scholarships? ``Well over eight figures.''

When it became public earlier this month that the Panthers hockey team would be sold and that Kosar would be getting a minority-owner percentage of the $240 million price, his phone rang all weekend with people asking for help. Calls after midnight on Friday. Calls before 7 a.m. on Sunday.

''Everyone with a sob story came flooding back,'' he says. Then there's the divorce. It has been a public disaster, with him being accused of several addictions, of erratic behavior and of giving away the couple's money. Bernie says he has no interest in fighting with his estranged wife publicly or privately because ''I can't live vengefully in front of my kids. Why subject them to that? I don't want to fight anybody. I don't want hate or anger in their life. I may hurt me, but I wouldn't hurt anybody else.'' He speaks with a slur and admits there has been drinking and pain medication in his past, but says the only thing he's addicted to is football.

Drugs? Alcohol? ''Would my kids be living with me if that were really the case?'' he asks. ``If I did 10 percent of things I'm accused of, I'd be dead.''

He says the divorce has cost him between $4 and $5 million already.

''That's just fees,'' he says. ``And they keep coming. Attorneys charge $600 an hour just to screw things up more.''

And here's the worst part: ''I don't want to get divorced,'' he says. ``I'm Catholic, and I'm loyal, and I still love her.''

CHALLENGES AHEAD
He has poured himself into being Dad, but it isn't easy. Kids listen more from 2 to 10 years old. But now there are the perpetual parental concerns of cars, driving, drinking, drugs, sex.

''I'm outnumbered now,'' he says.

And he has no clue how to help girls become women, although he gets moved to the brink of tears when his girls tell him they appreciate how hard he's trying. He wept like a child when his daughter painted him a picture of herself smiling and signed it with love. He has found therapy in learning how to clean the house with the kids and dealing with life's smaller headaches. Just the other day, while in a 10-hour bankruptcy meeting with 10 attorneys that left him ''humbled and in pain and feeling betrayed'' as he took a detailed inventory of his life, he excused himself with a smile because one of his daughters -- the oldest of his children lives with him full time, the others part time -- was calling with some sort of popularity crisis.

''The worst feeling in the world is being Dad on Friday night at home at midnight and they haven't gotten home yet,'' he says.

His daughter rolled her car the other day, getting ejected as it sank into a lake.

''Memorial Day, I should have been doing the funeral for her,'' he says. ``This other chaos is just stuff. Money. I'll make more. It feels bad. It sucks the life and energy out of you and is a relentless drain. But I'm going to come out of this fine. I always get up.''

There are photos all over his mansion. Many of them are not up. They are on the floor, leaning against the walls. He'll learn how to hang them soon enough. He goes over and grabs the one by the fireplace. In it, he is in the pocket with the Browns, and everything is collapsing all around him. You can see Kosar's offensive linemen either beaten or back-pedaling. His left tackle is on the ground, staring as his missed assignment blurs toward the quarterback's blind side. But the ball is already in the air, frozen in flight, headed perfectly to the only teammate who has a step in a sea of Steelers. It is a work of art, that photo. You can see clearly that the play is going to work. And you can see just as clearly that Kosar is going to get crushed.

Kosar runs his fingers along the frame. This is what his life once was and what it is now -- a swirl of chaos and pain and danger surrounding a man who has to remain in control for the people around him as everything feels like it is falling apart.

''I just wanted to play football,'' the old quarterback says.

A laugh and a pause.

``Actually, I still do.''



(miamiherald.com)

Former gridiron great Bernie Kosar, dogged by financial and legal problems, filed for bankruptcy Friday.

Kosar, 45, the former Miami Hurricane and NFL quarterback, filed for Chapter 11, which is generally used by companies to reorganize.

The bankruptcy petition didn't provide much detail. Boxes were checked off on the petition indicating Kosar has assets estimated between $1 million and $10 million and liabilities of between $10 million and $50 million.

The filing listed Kosar's largest unsecured creditors, owed a combined $19.5 million. Among them and the amount of their claims: the Cleveland Browns, a team he quarterbacked from 1985 to 1993, nearly $1.5 million; his ex-wife Babette, $3 million; and Jim Ferraro, the owner of the Cleveland Gladiators, an Arena Football League team, $725,000. Kosar is the team's president.

Other major unsecured creditors include Tampa's Florida Bank, owed about $9.7 million over some sour real estate investments, and Key Bank of Cleveland, owed $3.1 million.

The filing marks a hard fall for Kosar, the star Hurricanes quarterback in the 1980s who went on to excel in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns before ending his career with the Miami Dolphins in 1996.

Kosar, who owns a home in Weston, has endured a variety of setbacks lately. Kosar's wife, Babette, divorced him in 2007. Last year, his Bernie Kosar's Steakhouse went out of business.

Lenders also obtained foreclosure judgments on apartment properties Kosar had an interest in in Tampa, Clearwater and Pinellas Park.



(miamiherald.com)

The UM trustee is a minority owner of both the NHL’s Florida Panthers and the Cleveland Gladiators, an Arena Football League team that sat out the past season along with the rest of the league.

(...) the Panthers have discussed merging the team with a New York company, Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal has reported.

It appears Kosar could use some money to pay mounting judgments.

(litterboxcats.com)

The tax man is trying to sack Bernie Kosar, former Hurricane and NFL star. The Internal Revenue Service filed a $228,806.21 lien -- income tax owed for 2006, according to Broward County records. Kosar is also delinquent on his 2007 property tax for his Weston home, on Paddock Road in Windmill Ranch Estates. He failed to pay $52,724.95 due last March 31 and now owes $59,881.49 with penalties, interest and other charges.

Kosar -- developer, restaurateur, Arena Football team president, and Florida Panthers limited partner -- says the tax bills fell through the cracks. ''I just found out about it.'' He intends to make good.

Kosar, who played for the Browns, Cowboys and Dolphins, went through a contentious split from wife Babette that became final in December. He says some of the tax notices went to his old address. ``When you go through a divorce and you have to switch all the names and all of the paper and all of the accounts, this stuff happens.''

Also, he says, he was busy with the Cleveland Gladiators -- he owns a piece of the team with attorney Jim Ferraro, majority owner and CEO. And Kosar runs Bernie Kosar's Steakhouse in South Miami, amid a battle over money with Dan Harri, his former chef and partner.

Harri says he loaned Kosar and the business $142,612.62, according to a letter to Kosar from Harri's attorney, Timothy Perenich. Harri declared bankruptcy in January.

Kosar says Harri owes him money. They've had terse e-mail exchanges over the past few months.

Harri: ''I have to do what I have to do . . . '' Kosar: ``I trusted and gave you 10 extra chances and still haven't asked what happened with all the early yrs money when we were over 100K per month.''

Harri: ''Kosar Hospitality owes me . . . I have kept very low profile on this.'' Kosar: ``I went way above what I should to help you and you haven't even repaid one thing let alone all the mess and crimes I am cleaning up from you.''

Harri: ''Am available . . . if you would like to discuss.'' Kosar: ``U ungrateful stupid idiot . . . You can rot in hell . . . You aren't even close to professional.''

Kosar's Cleveland lawyer, John Climaco, says Harri and Jacob Kreuzer, a Houston collection agency investigator, are using strongarm tactics. Climaco cites an e-mail that Kreuzer sent to a Kosar assistant, saying Harri planned to ''air a lot of dirty laundry about Bernie's personal life'' to media outlets including ESPN.

Climaco wrote Kreuzer and Perenich: ''Such extortionary threats are not taken lightly'' and warned that Harri could face a defamation suit if he discusses his ''unfounded claims'' with the media.

Harri is now business development director for a Tampa-area plumbing company.

(miamiherald.com)

Just prior to the Gladiator's final game, a playoff loss to the Philadelphia Soul, Lane Adkins spoke to team owner Bernie Kosar about his first year as a CEO of a new Cleveland football team...
Q: Bernie, in your first season as a part-owner and CEO of the AFL's Cleveland Gladiators, what has surprised you the most about the arena game? And how difficult was it for you coming from a successful NFL career to interact with a different type game?

BK: As I told you when I got involved in bringing an arena team to Cleveland, this wasn't about my ego or it being a token type position thing. There is a lot of work involved running an arena league team and I have immersed myself into this feet first.

When we started here my first reaction was to get directly involved with the team itself, but I didn't, I wanted to sit back a bit and take in all the intricacies of the game. I talked with the players and coaches. Players are players and coaches are coaches, that part of the game doesn't change. Once I knew the game, I got much more involved, but not in the meddling type of way, though Mike Wilpolt (head coach) and Brian Partlow (offensive coordinator) may disagree, Kosar said laughingly.

I don't know if anything really surprised me, but the level of expertise and commitment from the team owners to the coaches to the players is extraordinary. I have been around teams that were a family, and it is no different here with us, the Cleveland Gladiators are a family. Head coach Mike Wilpolt has done a great job in his first season as head coach of the team and we are in the hunt.

The atmosphere at an arena league game is phenomenal, the pace of the game is fast, the rules are a little different, but football is football and we are proud of the way the team has played and how the fans have come out to support us.
Q: Making the playoffs and on the verge of something as special, as in fighting for the AFL Championship has to be rewarding to you as an owner to watch this team develop as quickly as it has. What were your realistic thoughts as the season started for this team as it moved from Las Vegas to Cleveland?

BK: We've had our ups and downs as the season has progressed. What we struggled with most was consistency, we are a team with many new faces, but quality people and players. You have to give credit to the job (Mike) Wilpolt and the staff has done, from top to bottom this has been a team effort.

After moving the team from Las Vegas, we knew we could be competitive if we made the right moves with personnel. We made a couple deals to get players we targeted in the draft and we went hard after Raymond Philyaw (starting QB). Ray is one of the best in the game, he is experienced and has been successful in the arena game. It is his experience and leadership that has played a major role in where we are, he is very bright and competitive and knows how to get the job done out there.

From the start we believed this was going to be a good team. We expected to be competitive, and I am not going to sit here and tell you I expected us to be a playoff team, but I did believe it was possible if everything came together. As the season progressed, we began to have aspirations about possibly making the playoffs, we saw the possibilities.The night we clinched a playoff berth at home against Columbus was special for me, the organization and the fans of Cleveland. Without all the hard work of the people in this organization and backing of the fans, I don't know if we could have made it this far this quickly.
Q: In light of the Gladiators quick rise in the AFL, this proves that teams can turn it around in a hurry with solid coaching and talent. Getting ready to face the Philadelphia Soul in the Western Division Championship game this Saturday, what can this team do differently to beat the Soul, a team which defeated the Gladiators twice in the regular season?

BK: We played them twice in the regular season, winning at home and losing on the road. Both were tough, hard-fought games and we feel we should have won both games. We were in position to win that game in Philadelphia but things didn't go our way and we missed a two-point conversion at the end which would have won the game for us.

I feel we match up pretty well with them, they are a very, very good team. They're well coached and very explosive and play defense.. There defense is one of the best we faced during the season and expect to see the very best from them come Saturday in Philadelphia.

If we can play solid defense, not make numerous mental mistakes and capitalize on opportunities, we will be in it. Offensively, we feel good about where we are, but need to play better if we are going to get past them. They pretty much know what we do as a team and we have a feel for them as a team, it is going to boil down to who makes plays and which team doesn't turn the ball over. In this game, a turnover or two can put a team in a deep rut due to the offensive prowess of these teams.

It all comes down to execution.

(cle.scout.com)

Ron Jaworski said he caught part of Bernie Kosar's playoff pep talk in the Gladiators' locker room on cable television recently. "I gotta write some notes for him," said the voluble "Jaws," the ESPN analyst and top football man with the Philadelphia Soul.

Kosar, the president of the relocated and formerly sad-sack Gladiators, has mastered most of the material quickly, pep talks aside. "The game's not going to be won by what's said in the locker room anyway," said Kosar of Saturday's National Conference Arena League Championship Game in Philadelphia.

It once would have been hard to coach for Kosar. He butted heads with the conservative play-calling of Marty Schottenheimer's staff during his glory days with the Browns. Bill Belichick fired him for drawing up a play in the dirt in his last game as a Brown in 1993.

The Browns' story was that Kosar had diminished skills, but his perceived insubordination was a big part of it, too. The play in the dirt, by the way, went for a touchdown.

After some difficult times personally and professionally, Kosar seems rejuvenated by the Gladiators' playoff run to the brink of a title game. Kosar has always had a big ego, which is almost a necessity at the quarterback position in the NFL, as well as one of the finest football brains ever to get knocked around by a blind-side blitz. "I'm not the quietest guy in competitive situations, even if it was in my best interests not to talk too much," he said.

For too long, Kosar was estranged from the Browns by the insecure football men who led the team after its rebirth. But anyone who has heard Kosar deconstruct the Browns' offense on television in exhibition games knows he still sees the field with a wide-angle lens. Exasperation memorably fought with disdain when he watched Maurice Carthon's offense.

But he has grown enough as Gladiators president that, although he sometimes wears a head-set to listen to play calls on the sideline, he lets Coach of the Year Mike Wilpolt and his staff run the game.

He would be a plus for the Browns too, although he would probably have to show more of his developing restraint to ever get a shot. Toward this season's Browns, a team that is supposed to contend for a division championship, Kosar takes the diplomatic approach.

"Derek Anderson threw 29 touchdown passes in his first full year in the league," Kosar said. "You're going to get better if you have a guy like that in your corner. No matter how it comes out with Derek and Brady [Quinn], you need two quarterbacks nowadays."

The compact size of the Arena League field speeds up the decision-making process and accelerates quarterback growth. The quality of play also rose after NFL Europe folded, sending many of its 300 players in search of Arena League jobs.

There were good players in the USFL, some of whom fueled the Browns' rise to power in the 1980s. The Arena League developed former NFL Most Valuable Player Kurt Warner. Even the deplorable XFL provided players to the NFL.

The same should hold for team executives.

"I've been in this five years, and this is my first [conference] championship game. Cleveland did it in one year. Bernie must be doing pretty good," Jaworski said.

(plaindelaer.com)

As fans of the Cleveland Browns can attest, conference championship games have never brought much luck to Bernie Kosar. Despite how well Kosar would play, quarterback counterpart John Elway and the Denver Broncos always found a way to one-up Cleveland and punch a ticket to the Super Bowl.

But 20 and 21 years after "The Fumble" and "The Drive," respectively, Kosar is back in the conference championship game once again -- this time as president of the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League.

Cleveland will face the Philadelphia Soul on Saturday, July 12, for a chance to play in the Arena Bowl.

Many football people believe conference title games can be just as difficult -- and sometimes more difficult -- to win than championship games. Kosar agreed with that assessment based on personal experience.

"Most people think that if you don't win it all, it's not a success," Kosar said Wednesday via conference call. "But basically you're playing the cream of the crop, the best-type teams [in conference championships]. It's not an accident that I believe us and Philadelphia are still playing. And when you're playing at the highest level, somebody has to lose."

Kosar aims to not come up on the short end in the conference championship again this weekend.

The matchup pits two championship-deprived cities. Philadelphia hasn't won a pro sports title since the 76ers were NBA champions in 1983. Cleveland hasn't won a pro championship since the Browns did it in 1964, before the merger.

Although Elway owns an arena team, he is not standing in Kosar's way this weekend. But former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski is.

Jaworski is president of the Soul and, like Kosar, also is trying to bring another title to the city in which he once played.

"We really have two cities that are starving for a championship," Jaworski said. "I can speak for Philly, and I know the Cleveland organization feels the same way. We're very proud to represent our cities."

(espn.com)

The first thing Bernie Kosar knew about Arena football was that he didn't know much about the Arena Football League. This was an indoor eight-man game played on a 50-yard field, certainly not his father's football league -- or even anything remotely resembling what Kosar played for the Browns in the 1980s and 1990s.

That's why the former quarterback didn't bring in one of his old NFL buddies to coach the team. And why he wasn't cocky enough to believe he could fix this ailing franchise by himself after he was hired as president of the Cleveland Gladiators, which moved here from Las Vegas after a 2-14 season in the desert.

Today, the Gladiators are 9-7 and in the playoffs after beating Columbus, 47-35, before 14,397 at Quicken Loans Arena Saturday night. It's the most stunning turnaround in the AFL this season.

Yes, Kosar fueled the engine, but he was smart enough to know he needed a lot of help top stay on the right road.

He hired Mike Wilpolt, a veteran AFL defensive coordinator who also played in the league to be head coach-- his experience dating back to 1992.

Next on board came offensive coordinator Brian Partlow, who has coached in the AFL since 2000.

"Bernie lets us coach," said Wilpolt. "We run everything past him. We want to know what he has to say. He is very involved. But he also respects the game and realizes it is really different [from the NFL]."

Kosar sometimes goes into the dressing room at halftime. He has spoken to the team at practice, and is on the headset listening during the games.

But he has found a way to do all that, and not get in the way.

Kosar's other major contribution was to recruit Ray Philyaw, who may not be a household name to Browns fans. But the 33-year-old is one of the best AFL quarterbacks, ever. He's been in the league nine years, and he's 9-for-9 making the playoffs. Kosar bonded with Philyaw during the recruiting visit, having the quarterback stay at Kosar's home in Portage County.

This is a tough league for a newcomer. Just ask former Massillon High and Ohio State quarterback Justin Zwick, who was in town Saturday night with the Columbus Destroyers. He is the team's backup, yet to throw a pass in a game. He gets on the field as part of the kickoff coverage team.

Former NFL players Steve DeBerg (0-5) and Chris Spielman (2-14) struggled when trying to be head coaches in this league, where there are no punts, the field is only 85-feet wide and holding a team under 40 points is like keeping the score under 10 in the NFL.

"It has taken me a while to get to up speed," said Kosar. "I've been learning a lot."

And doing it fast.

Only three players returned from the Las Vegas disaster, Kosar and his coaches changing the roster from one end to the other. A key move was signing Randy Hymes only a month ago. He had played for several NFL teams, but never in this league. Finding a player like that who catches three touchdown passes in his first AFL game is the kind of scouting that transformed this franchise.

Fans have been starting to notice.

The Gladiators entered the night averaging 13,979 fans for their first seven games, ranking fifth in the 17-team league. Tampa Bay leads with 16,636 per game. A year ago, the Gladiators averaged a mere 5,383 while finishing 2-14 in Las Vegas. But that was last year, and thanks to Kosar and his coaches, everything is different now.

(cleveland.com)

When the Cleveland Gladiators take on in-state rival Columbus Destroyers fans of Cleveland's other football team, NFL's Cleveland Browns, will have a reason to attend the Arena Football League game. The Gladiators will honor team President Bernie Kosar, who famously adorned number 19 with his years with the Browns, by giving out bobblehead dolls of the former quarterback.

If you feel that you must get a doll get to the game against Columbus early. Only the first 10,000 fans will be receiving the bobbleheads. The Gladiators take on the Destroyers on June 21st at the Quicken Loans Arena.

(clevelandleader.com)

CLEVELAND -- Bernie Kosar was drawing plays in the dirt with the Browns long before such artwork contributed him to being run out of town by Bill Belichick in 1993.

Never far away from Cleveland football since his rookie year in 1985, Kosar has reinvented himself as part owner and team president of the Cleveland Gladiators in the Arena Football League. Friday night in Quicken Loans Arena, the Gladiators host the Colorado Crush owned by John Elway.

Yeah, that John Elway.

Three times in the late 1980s the Browns and Broncos dueled in the AFC championship game and each time Elway and the Broncos came out on top.

''After 20-some years, you think I would have gotten over it,'' Kosar said during a press conference yesterday. ''I'm not really sure I have. A game two decades ago is still arguably talked about like it happened two weeks ago.

''It's interesting how life goes full-circle from playing to owning and putting the pieces together.''

Elway dashed the Browns' Super Bowl hopes with The Drive in the 1986 championship game. Trailing 20-13 with 5:32 left, he moved the Broncos from the Denver 2 on a 15-play touchdown drive and threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Mark Jackson with 37 seconds left. Rich Karlis kicked a 33-yard game-winning field goal 5:38 into overtime - a kick Browns fans sitting in the closed end of old Cleveland Stadium swear was wide left.

It was in the AFC Championship a year later that Kosar established himself as Supreme Commander of Cleveland football. He posted better numbers in double overtime against the Jets eight days before The Drive, but on Jan. 17, 1988, in Denver, Kosar simply took 10 players on his back and challenged 11 Broncos, as it were, bare-handed.

The Browns trailed 21-3 at halftime. They posted 148 yards of offense and turned the ball over three times. Kosar was 10 of 19 for 110 yards with one interception.

The Browns had 316 yards of offense in the second half. Kosar was 16 of 22 for 256 yards with touchdown passes to Reggie Langhorne, Earnest Byner and Webster Slaughter. Byner also rushed for a touchdown before the bad thing happened.

The Browns were a team transformed, and offensive coordinator Lindy Infante became a mere spectator.

''I was so slow afoot, I had to have the plays right,'' Kosar said Wednesday. ''I remember like it was yesterday - Lindy, midway through the (practice) week, throwing his plays down and saying a couple bleeped words ÔOkay, just call the plays. Forget it!'

''I said, ÔNo, you can call them. But if we're not doing well with them, I'm going to X you. I'm going to tell you right now, while it's calm and quiet in here, I'm going to fake it like you're calling the plays and I'm doing it if we have problems. I hope we don't have problems.' We had arguments in the week leading up to the game about some formational things I didn't think would work. In retrospect, they didn't work.

''By halftime the game plan was scrapped. I was vocal at halftime and mouthy. I wanted to make sure in the second half I was right in what I did.

''It's really a shame a lot of that game is remembered for Earnest and The Fumble, because he was such a phenomenal player and person. He had such a great game that day.''

Trailing 38-31, the Browns were driving for the tying touchdown. But with 1:12 to play, Jeremiah Castille stripped the ball from Earnest Byner at the Denver 3. The Broncos recovered. The heartbreak continued.

Kosar posted better numbers than Elway in the first two AFC title games. The third was all Elway and the Broncos - 37-21 on Jan. 14, 1990.

Beating Elway's team Friday will not ease the pain of the AFC championship losses, but for now it's the game on Kosar's mind.

(zwire.com)

"You guys don't have a Sharpie, do you?" Bernie Kosar asked the surrounding media in the concourse before the Gladiators, the team for which he'll serve as president, CEO, minority owner and head headcase, played their first Arena Football League game Monday at Quicken Loans Arena.

As Browns fans got accustomed to during the former quarterback's career, the tall and lanky one came through.

He got the Sharpie, making the day of a young girl who was waiting for Kosar to sign the back of her No. 20 University of Miami jersey. The girl's father, wearing a Kosar 19 jersey in the familiar brown and orange, could only smile.

The face of the Gladiators - one of Cleveland's most beloved sports figures - sure can draw a crowd. There were 17,391 fans at The Q for Cleveland's first AFL game since the Thunderbolts left town in 1994.

Two decades after drawing up plays in the dirt while 78,000 fans at Cleveland Stadium screamed and pleaded for him to pull off another miracle as quarterback of the Browns, Bernie Kosar has that itch again.

Truth be told, the itch never went away. But now as president and minority owner of the Cleveland Gladiators in the Arena Football League, Kosar has a chance to scratch it.

Before he sat down for a 15-minute interview one day last week at the Gladiators' practice facility in Warrensville Heights, Kosar was in the locker room with his players, breaking down game film just as he did when he played for the Browns from 1985-93. He was as excited as he was during the days he wore No. 19 and strapped on an orange helmet.