Ditka suffered 'massive' heart attack in November

Warning: Story contains coarse language

NFL Hall of Famer Mike Ditka was hospitalized in late November after suffering a heart attack that was initially described as "minor."

However, Ditka says his agent downplayed the severity of the event, one he calls "massive."

"I got my ass kicked pretty good there, but I'm feeling a lot better," Ditka said to The Athletic's Dan Pompei.

The heart attack occurred while Ditka was on the golf course. He was rushed to a hospital where doctors inserted a pacemaker and four stents.

He's currently attending therapy daily and working on regaining his strength.

"I'm just going to take it easy," he said. "I realize that I have been riding 'em hard and putting up wet for a lot of years. Time to slow down. I'm not getting any younger. You're only going to live 'til you die anyway. So it's been a hell of a run.

"You always think it's not going to happen to me until it happens to you. And then there is nothing you can do about it because it just kicks your butt so bad. You know, the greatest gift we have from God is life. But life without health is not worth a darn."

Ditka suffered a heart attack in 1988 and had a minor stroke in 2012.

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