William “The Refrigerator” Perry is back in Chicago this weekend, and there’s good news: Two months after a report surfaced that Perry’s health had seriously deteriorated, Perry seems to be happy and relatively healthy.
“I was coming back really slowly, but it’s picking up and I’m getting around, back out in the world instead of locked up in the house,” Perry told ESPN.com. “I’m just making progress, and I’m happy [my life] is going in the right direction.”
The ESPN.com story quotes Perry as saying he weighs 290 pounds, whereas in February ESPN reported that Perry weighed 400 pounds. There’s no healthy way to lose 110 pounds in two months, so I can’t help but wonder if either his health problems were exaggerated a couple months ago, or if his improvement is being exaggerated now. Either way, the mere fact that Perry is out and about is a major step forward for a man whose family said he had practically become a shut-in because of alcohol abuse and other health problems.
And Perry received a surprise gift at his Chicago appearance: His Super Bowl XX ring, which a young sports memorabilia collector who had purchased it for $8,500 decided to give back to him.
Perry’s old coach, Mike Ditka, said he’s excited to see that his former player seems to be turning his life around.
“He looks good,” Ditka told the Chicago Sun-Times. “It’s the best I’ve seen him look in a long time.”
