Buccaneers' Bruce Arians Was Hospitalized for 4 Days with Heart Issue

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians was hospitalized for four days last month with myocarditis, he revealed in an interview this week.

"On the night before the Atlanta game, we had a house full of people," Arians told Ira Kaufman of JoeBucsFan.com. “We ate and I got these pains way up here, like two knives going in. The more I tried to take a breath, the worse it got.

"I took some TUMS, thinking it was indigestion, but it just got worse. I called [wife] Christine back to the bedroom and said I can’t shake this pain. We called 911, and they put me on a stretcher to Tampa General."

Arians said doctors kept him in the hospital for four days, at first believing he had a mild heart attack or a buildup of fluid around his heart before eventually diagnosing him with myocarditis.

"Thankfully, the scans showed no fluid, no heart damage and absolutely no blockages," Arians said. "They had a cardiac radiologist look at everything, and they ended up giving me anti-inflammatories."

The myocarditis caused Arians to miss Oct. 9's win over the Atlanta Falcons, as well as trips to Pittsburgh and Carolina the following two weeks. Arians currently serves as a senior adviser to Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht.

The 70-year-old retired from his coaching position during the offseason after spending three campaigns in Tampa. He coached the Bucs to a Super Bowl LV victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.