As the Cleveland Browns prepare to kick off the 2017 NFL Draft in Philadelphia with the first overall pick, Bernie Kosar, the former no. 1 pick who set the mark for all Browns picks that followed, will likely be watching in the comfort of his happy place, his Northeast Ohio farm.
Kosar bought the Portage County spread when he was playing for the Browns and it's where he likes to unwind in the quiet of the outdoors.
"When you're able to get outside, it really gets [rid of] the pressure of the cellphone ringing all the time, the texts, the emails," said Kosar. "It's a great way to kind of just get away, relax."
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Yes, the football field may have been where he made his living but this is where he defines living. At 53, Kosar often compares himself to the Eddie Albert character in the old 60s television show "Green Acres," the unlikely farmer.
While he will occasionally man the heavy equipment, his preference lies in the smaller ones, his quads, the four wheel ATVs he rides along the trails he's forged over the years.
Watch News 5's pre-Draft special 'Browns Countdown' tonight at 7 p.m.
"This is also kind of part of therapy and health & wellness," said Kosar. "When you're able to get outside and actually make some of the roads that we were just riding on, it's not traditional exercise but it's fantastic exercise for me."
In the winter, Kosar can be found moving mounds of snow, in the summer swimming or just taking a walk down to a nearby creek or clearing a new path for his quads.
"This is a great way to relax and kind of keep your health about you," he said.
It wasn't always that effortless, though, for Kosar. Concussion-related headaches made this joy, at times, more of chore. "Was I able to do it?" Kosar asked rhetorically. "Somewhat but it was like a forced exercise."
Tonight on News 5 at 11 p.m. we'll take a closer look at what brought Kosar to that point and the medical treatments that turned things around for him.
