Former Jacksonville Jaguars great Tony Boselli was hospitalized recently after testing positive for COVID-19. According to a recent ESPN story by Michael DiRocco, the 47-year-old was in dire straits before he took a turn for the better:

“It was kind of fuzzy, but I remember [the pulmonologist] saying, ‘If we don’t get your oxygen stabilized we’re going to have to go to the next level,'” Boselli said. “I remember laying there thinking, ‘What do you mean, if this doesn’t work?’ He says, ‘We don’t know what direction this is going to go.’ I don’t know if I ever was like I thought I was going to die, but I remember having the conversation with myself: I don’t want to die here.”

Boselli spent five days in the Mayo Clinic. Half of which was in the ICU, where he fought hard to stay alive and suffered extremely belabored breathing due to the vitriolic virus. Boselli was luckily discharged from the Clinic on Tuesday.

At first, the NFL Hall-of-Fame finalist the past four years thought he was simply suffering from a common cold or seasonal allergies. But a sleepless night spent wheezing heavily convinced him to get a second opinion.

The scary part about this pandemic is its unpredictability. While this former NFL star offensive lineman survived, many other thousands have not been so lucky.

Please be sure to practice social distancing if you have to leave your home. But if leaving isn’t a necessity, just stay home and make sure to wash your hands frequently.