Merril Hoge Merril DuAine Hoge ( ; born January 26 , 1965 ) is a former professional American football player . He played eight seasons at running back for the NFL ' s Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears , retiring after the 1994 season . Since 1996 he has been a football analyst for ESPN television . Early years . Hoge was born and raised in Pocatello , Idaho . After graduating from Highland High School in 1983 , he stayed in town to play college football for the Idaho State Bengals in the Big Sky Conference . Hoge was a three - time all - conference selection at running back . Pro football career . The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Hoge in the tenth round of 1987 NFL Draft with the 261st pick overall . After seven seasons with the Steelers , Hoge signed with the Chicago Bears in 1994 , but played in only five games with only six carries and 13 receptions . During a game against the Chiefs in Kansas City , Hoge received a concussion and , five days later , the team doctor approved him to resume playing during a telephone call without examining him to determine if he had recovered ; he was still suffering post - concussion symptoms . Hoge sustained another concussion several weeks later , and had to be resuscitated after he stopped breathing . He spent 48 hours in the intensive - care unit and was forced to retire due to brain injury . Hoge had to learn to read again and experienced memory loss , confusion and headaches . He later sued the Bears team doctor and won a $ 1 . 55 million judgment . In his career , Hoge gained 3139 rushing yards and 2133 receiving yards , along with 34 touchdowns . While playing fullback in the Steeler ' s I - form offense , he scored 10 touchdowns in 1990 . Broadcast career . In 1996 , Hoge was hired as an on - air analyst for ESPN . Hoge is a well known short tie aficionado . Personal . Battle with cancer . Hoge injured his shoulder in an automobile accident in June 2002 and had an operation to repair a torn ligament . During an examination six months after surgery , Hoge told his doctor , Jim Bradley , also the Steelers ' team physician , about a recurring back pain . Dr . Bradley began ordering tests to determine the cause . On February 14 , 2003 , Hoge was diagnosed with stage II Non - Hodgkin lymphoma . He had the first of six chemotherapy treatments on February 28 . He maintained a positive outlook throughout his treatment : Soon after treatment began , Dr . Stanley Marks , Hoge ' s oncologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center , gave him a 75 - 80 % chance of prolonged remission . Family . Hoge lives in Fort Thomas , Kentucky , with his son Beau ( born 1997 ) and daughter Kori ( born 1993 ) . Fort Thomas is a suburb of Campbell County , Kentucky , across the river from Cincinnati , Ohio where Cris Collinsworth also calls home . When Hoge was playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers , his wife Toni , who had previously resided there , did not want to live in Pittsburgh . Accordingly , he deferred to her choice and Fort Thomas became their home . Toni and Merril are now divorced . His mother died when he was 19 . Philanthropy . Hoge has served on the board of directors of the Highmark Caring Foundation since the early 1990s . He also ran the " Hoge - Bruener - Ward Celebrity Golf Classic " for over ten years .