Von Miller is opening up about his experience battling coronavirus.
The 31-year-old Denver Broncos linebacker detailed the “frightening” symptoms he suffered from last month during his battle, saying that his illness started with a cough which lead to him “not being able to breathe.”
“I started to get a cough, but I rarely ever get sick, so I really didn’t think about it being the coronavirus. I thought I just had a cold,” Von shared with The Washington Post. “I was still coughing when I was making my protein shake, and my assistant told me: ‘Why don’t you just go get tested? The Broncos, they got free tests; it’s right down the street.’ Two days later they tell me I had the coronavirus.”
Von tested positive for COVID-19 back in early April. Von said that his symptoms got even worse, given his history with asthma.
“I got asthma, but it was past the asthma attack — like my lungs were constricting,” Von recalled. “My asthma nebulizer helped, but it still didn’t feel like it was supposed to. That was the most frightening part. Just going to sleep knowing that my oxygen level could drop and I could wake up and have to go to the hospital.”
Von added: “The first four, five days I was honestly nervous. I wouldn’t say that I thought I was going to die or anything like that, but it did cross my mind a little bit.”
Now that he is recovered, Von wants to pass on his experience to other players in the NFL who he says aren’t taking it seriously.
“They don’t even think it’s real. That’s the craziest part,” Von said. “I told them to take it serious. Take all of this serious. Take social distancing serious.”
