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Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar.
(Jason Miller/File)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- One season after he was sacked as the color analyst for preseason Cleveland Browns games, Bernie Kosar will return to TV as a contributor on WOIO Channel 19.
Kosar -- the quarterback whose number made 19 one of the most popular jerseys in Browns history -- will appear on the expanded weekly "Tailgate 19" at 11 a.m. Sunday, and will join the new "SportsZone" wrap-up show later that night at 11:35 p.m.
Both will debut on Sunday, when the Browns play the New York Jets at 1 p.m. on Channel 19.
Kosar was a frequent guest last season on "Tailgate 19" with sports anchor Tony Zarrella and analysts Bob Golic, Hanford Dixon and Chuck Booms.
He was the Browns' quarterback from 1985 to 1993, when he lead the team to the brink of the Super Bowl three times and to four division titles in five years.
One of the team's most revered former players, he won respect for his insight and analysis during eight years in the TV booth for exhibition games.
He was dumped in April 2014 by WKYC Channel 3, which had preseason TV rights.
Kosar attributed the firing to his slurred speech, a result of the many concussions he suffered during his playing days. Channel 3 management said the dismissal only followed a desire to "freshen up" production.
But it also accompanied Kosar's plea of no contest to reckless operation of a vehicle. Kosar originally was arrested in Solon and charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated and speeding, but those charges were dismissed.
In a statement after his court hearing, Kosar apologized to the community for speeding and said he did not fault police for "mistaking my concusssion-related ailments for alcohol-induced impairments."
Kosar earlier stirred controversy in August 2013 as a color commentator. During the Browns' preseason contest with the St. Louis Rams, he criticized Rams receivers, backup quarterback Kellen Clemens and receivers coach Ray Sherman.
Browns then-CEO Joe Banner reprimanded Kosar for a "personal and unprofessional approach."