Former NFLer Armonty Bryant waiting for kidney transplant

Pass-rusher Armonty Bryant was signed by the Oakland Raiders in April 2018. Two months later, he retired from the NFL.

The abrupt decision came after Bryant was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a condition that requires dialysis and has the former six-year pro awaiting a kidney transplant.

"They say the kidney is a silent killer. It's true because I can tell you right now, I had nothing wrong with me," Bryant said to ESPN's Michael Rothstein.

"I had a little back issue, but that's about it. I never thought that this could end my career basically."

Bryant was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2013 and spent three years with the team before he was released and subsequently signed with the Detroit Lions in 2016. He was cut by Detroit in 2017 and signed with the Raiders the next spring. It was upon signing with Oakland that team doctors discovered elevated potassium levels in his test results and ordered him to an emergency room.

His blood pressure spiked to nearly 200 and he was forced to switch blood pressure medication. Doctors told him he could no longer play football and had to begin treatment. He now undergoes a process that requires dialysis every four hours.

"When I look in the mirror, I don't see myself. I see a sick person. I see a tube coming out of my stomach. I don't see Armonty Bryant," he said.

Bryant was suspended three times by the NFL between 2016 and 2017, twice for performance-enhancing drugs and once for violating the substance abuse policy. He said the ban was for Adderall use and doesn't know how his illness developed.

He spends much of his time now undergoing treatment in his bedroom.

"I need a kidney. And I want people to know you don't have to be a match for me to donate a kidney," he said.

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