Former Lions GM Matt Millen Needs Heart Transplant 'Fairly Soon'

Former NFL player, general manager and commentator Matt Millen has been waiting on a heart transplant for 68 days and needs one "fairly soon," according to Peter King of NBC Sports:

"Millen needs a transplant because he has amyloidosis, a disease that attacks the heart with a rogue protein, amyloid. When I saw him last May, he knew the disease was advancing quickly, but he couldn't have known it would be this quick. At 60, he needs a transplant fairly soon; problem is, he doesn't know what 'fairly soon' means. He feels fine now, but he'll be in the hospital till, he hopes, he gets a heart to replace his sick one."

Millen has been living at a New Jersey hospital as he awaits his transplant. 

The 60-year-old Millen played 12 seasons in the NFL (1980-91) for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders, San Francisco 49ers and Washington as a linebacker, winning four Super Bowls and earning a berth to the 1988 Pro Bowl. 

After his playing career, he became a color commentator for television and radio until 2001, when he was hired as the Detroit Lions CEO and general manager. In seven seasons under his guidance, the Lions went just 31-84, and Millen returned to announcing after the front-office gig. 

In April, Millen spoke to Mark Wogenrich of the Morning Call, expressing positivity despite the diagnosis of amyloidosis.

"I've always lived this way," he said of his positive outlook. "You take what you get. I look over my life, and it's been a storybook. I have an awesome family, a phenomenal wife, and you can't ask for more. So you're not supposed to take the good with the bad? When a bump comes up in the road, you deal with it. It's ridiculous to feel sorry for yourself. I'm thankful for what I have, and I'll take what I get."