William “The Refrigerator” Perry is in very bad health, according to a story by Sports Illustrated.
Perry is an open alcoholic with seemingly no plans to get better, reportedly weighs 450 pounds (which is 150 overweight for him) and owes “hundreds of thousands of dollars” to the Internal Revenue Service.
Perry is best known for his time with the ’85 Bears, as a force on both sides of the ball, but mainly defense. With a lightning quick first step and immense natural, raw strength, “Fridge” was one of the ultimate chess pieces for Mike Ditka and Buddy Ryan to use on a defensive line that included Richard Dent and Steve “Mongo” McMichael.
In a way, Perry has opened the doors for many nose tackles of this generation, such as Vince Wilfork, Haloti Ngata and others.
William has made several appearances for the Bears recently, including a 30th year reunion for the only title team in Bears history last year.
With his health in decline, Perry still made the trip out and wanted to see his old friends. He made an appearance at a game against the Detroit Lions, as well as one against the Oakland Raiders.
Still, Perry’s health is of grave concern.
He told Sports Illustrated that”he could no longer feel from the shin down and that his hands were numb, too” after being ill with a leg infection stemming from diabetes.
The article also notes that Perry is struggling with alcoholism:
Fridge is in his office—that is, he’s in his white Hummer H2, parked in the driveway of a ramshackle house on Ridgewood Lane in Aiken. It’s 6 p.m., early April, 72º outside, and 10 or more people hang around the SUV as if it’s a tiki hut on a beach. Fridge is tipping back a beer and appears to be a tad inebriated, louder than usual, more demonstrative.
The “Fridge” is in very bad shape and it is important that we all keep him in our thoughts and prayers during this time of his life, as well as hope that he gets the medical attention that he needs.
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