Fans of the New York Giants remember Osi Umenyiora as one of the toughest players in franchise history.
Yet, Umenyiora showed how tough he really is by fighting off a recent health scare that landed him in the hospital for a month in a coma.
Umenyiora, of course, is a two-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion who wreaked havoc during both runs to the championship and of course against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in both Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI.
Umenyiora is sixth on the Giants‘ all-time sacks list (75.0), fourth in tackles for loss (70) and has the most fumble recoveries for touchdowns in team history (3).
Osi Umenyiora Was In A Coma
When we think of comas, typically people only come out of them on television. But Umenyiora survived to tell the tale of being unconscious for five days in the hospital in London.
“I went through some real adversity,” Umenyiora said on BBC television in England, where he has been an NFL commentator on TV. “I was in the hospital for almost a month. I was in a coma for five days, had some extensive surgery. I was in a really, really bad place, and I find out right then and there who actually loved me. Because there were some people who showed up every single day.”
Umenyiora, who is just 44, was born in England but grew up in Alabama before going to Troy University. He understandably looked thinner than he had before going into the hospital. He expressed his gratitude for those who came to see him.
“There were some people who came to see me when I was in a coma,” Umenyiora. There were some people who traveled from all across the world to come see me when I was at my lowest points.”
Former Giants DB Jason Bell Was At Osi Umenyiora’s Side When He Woke Up
You could be forgiven if you don’t remember Jason Bell’s single season with the Giants where he posted 23 tackles and one interception in 2006, while helping them make the playoffs with an 8-8 record — the year before they won the Super Bowl.
But Umenyiora will never forget his teammate and how he was there for him in the time of crisis.
“This man right here was by my side,” Umenyiora said of Bell. “I remember when I got up and I saw him for the first time, I just started crying because I could feel the love.”
Bell’s final season came with the Giants in 2006 after he spent his first five years with the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans. He played 15 games in 2006, and had two passes defended and seven tackles in New York’s 23-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round.
But Bell is also a commentator with Umenyiora on BBC, and being teammates both in the NFL and on TV has left a profound impact on their relationship
“Don’t you ever mistake what we got going on up here for something that’s not real because this is real, and I love you, J Bell,” Umenyiora said. “I really, really appreciate everything you did. They told me that when I heard your voice, my heart rate started to spike, which was absolutely incredible.”
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