Bernie Kosar addresses getting pulled from Browns radio show after bet

Retired quarterback Bernie Kosar has addressed being removed from the Cleveland Browns' pregame radio show ahead of their season finale at the Pittsburgh Steelers over a legal wager. 

"I’m not an employee of the Browns. As an independent contractor, I didn’t want to put them in this position," Kosar explained during the latest edition of "The Bernie Kosar Show w/ Hanford Dixon," per Cris Belle of Cleveland's Fox 8. "But since I’m not an employee, I didn’t think it was going to be an issue. And because it was for charity, again, now I see the position the Browns and the league are in. In no way do you want to put them on the spot. In no way was this done in the interest of benefiting us." 

As ESPN's Jake Trotter noted, Kosar confirmed ahead of Week 18 that he bet $19,000 on the Browns to defeat the Steelers as part of sports betting becoming legal in Ohio. Kosar, who wore the No. 19 throughout his Cleveland tenure that ran from 1985 through a portion of the 1993 season, vowed to give any winnings from that wager to charity. 

Cleveland fell to Pittsburgh 28-14.

"Earlier this week we notified Bernie, that per league policy, we were required to remove him from our pregame radio coverage for the season finale after he violated the NFL gambling policy by placing a bet on an NFL game," the Browns said after Sunday's contest concluded, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "We understand what Bernie means to this community and our history but as team contracted personnel hired to provide content on our media platforms, his bet was a violation of NFL rules and we must adhere to all NFL policy."

Kosar served as a regular guest on official Browns radio programs throughout this season. It's unclear if the Browns will welcome the franchise legend and one of the club's most beloved figures back for the 2023 campaign.