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Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly revealed that he suffered a stroke this spring and had to spend a few days in the hospital, although he now feels “really good.”
Kelly spoke to reporters in Orchard Park, New York, during the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Highmark Stadium, where the Bills will play starting this season. While the day was ceremonial as the Bills begin a new era in their new stadium, Kelly’s announcement wasn’t news anyone expected.
“I had a little setback about a month and a half ago,” Kelly explained via ESPN. “But right now I feel fine. The eyesight isn’t good. My hearing still stinks, but that’s part of life.”
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Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly is on the field before a game between the Buffalo Bills and the Tennessee Titans at Highmark Stadium. (Mark Konezny/USA TODAY Sports)
The 66-year-old Pro Football Hall of Famer has had to deal with health issues in the past, including multiple cancer diagnoses. The last one came in 2018, when he needed surgery to remove oral cancer and reconstruct his upper jaw. He also underwent chemotherapy in 2014 for cancer found in his maxillary sinus and underwent initial surgery in 2013 to remove squamous cell carcinoma from his upper jaw.
Kelly said her recent cancer screenings came back “all good.”
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“Everything is fine,” he added.
Kelly is well known in Bills history, as he was the team’s franchise quarterback from 1986 to 1996, where he helped lead his team to four consecutive Super Bowls. Unfortunately, every Bills fan remembers how they ended: four straight losses.
Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly poses on the red carpet before the NFL Honors Awards at Symphony Hall. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)
Thus, the Bills still do not have a Vince Lombardi Trophy in their team facility despite making runs in recent seasons with Josh Allen now at the helm in Buffalo. The Bills have reached the AFC Championship Game twice since Allen was selected in the 2018 draft, but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in both games.
Kelly, who still lives in the Western New York area and is actively involved with the Bills, is looking forward to the team’s first home game in their new stadium. The Bills will host the Detroit Lions in their regular-season opener on Sept. 17, when the new Highmark Stadium is expected to have a victory in its debut.
“It’s going to be special, not only for the players, but imagine the fans there, how crazy and wild and loud they’re going to get,” Kelly said. “And that’s what I’m looking forward to. I want to see how loud this stadium can get. And from what I’ve been told, it’s going to be incredible, but I expect nothing less.”
Former Buffalo Bills quarterback and Hall of Famer Jim Kelly waves to the crowd as he leaves the field during the penultimate day of Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, New York, on August 10, 2022. (Shawn Dowd/USA TODAY NETWORK Syndication)
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Buffalo fans are known for their pregame rituals, whether it’s jumping on folding tables, eating pizza out of file cabinets, or spraying “Pinto Ron” with ketchup and mustard during tailgates. “Go Buffalo!” resonated in the old Highmark Stadium for years, and that will only carry over to the new facility, which will have a capacity of 60,108 spectators on match days. The capacity, however, is more than 10,000 less than the previous stadium, but there is not expected to be a bad seat in the house.
