Former Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora is back to analyzing the NFL on TV in the United Kingdom after a health ordeal that had him in a coma for five days.
Looking healthy but much thinner than in his playing days, Umenyiora appeared on a broadcast Monday and said he wanted to answer the question he’s been getting from so many viewers: “Osi, where have you been?”
“I went through some real adversity,” Umenyiora said. “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. There were some people who came to see me when I was in a coma. There were some people who traveled from all across the world to come see me when I was at my lowest points.”
Umenyiora singled out his TV co-host and former Giants teammate Jason Bell as being particularly supportive.
“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. So 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. 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. I love you, J Bell.”
The 44-year-old Umenyiora did not go into any details about the health problems that landed him in the hospital, but he sounded optimistic about his future, and his continued role analyzing American football in his native country.
