Hall of Fame QB Dan Marino speaks out on quiet battle with liver disease

NFL Hall of Fame quarterback and Pittsburgh native Dan Marino is opening up about his battle with liver disease for the past 18 years.

In a new awareness campaign, Marino said he was diagnosed with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH, in 2007.

“Anytime you get diagnosed with something, you’re surprised,” he said in a video produced by health care company Novo Nordisk. “It’s like, ‘What do I gotta change?’ And then you have to make that change. It may be a quiet change that no one sees.”

Marino, 64, is part of Novo Nordisk’s Unordinary Stories campaign. The company is focused on treating serious chronic diseases, such as diabetes.

Marino played football at Central Catholic in Oakland and the University of Pittsburgh before being drafted by the Miami Dolphins, where he played for 17 years. At the time of his 1999 retirement, he held NFL records for passing attempts (8,358), completions (4,967), yardage (61,361) and touchdowns (420).

Marino said in the video he gained some weight after retirement from the NFL. MASH is diagnosed when there are excess fat cells in the liver, which can cause chronic inflammation and damage, according to Cleveland Clinic. The symptoms, such as fatigue or discomfort, can be hard to detect because the disease develops slowly over a period of years. It can progress to cirrhosis and liver failure.

Marino said he didn’t have any symptoms when he was diagnosed. He now is focused on working out and being active to stay healthy for his family.

“To control MASH, you have to find a way to get consistent and understand that if you want to live long you have to work out, eat right and continue to have a positive attitude,” he said.

In an interview with People magazine, Marino said he gets ultrasounds annually. He participated in the campaign to “get people aware of it, so maybe they can get treated and it can make a difference in their lives.”