Geno Hayes, a 33-year-old former linebacker with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Florida State Seminoles, has been moved to hospice care.

ESPN reporter Jenna Laine said Hayes, who's the father of a 13 and 8-year-old, said he'd been battling liver disease for two years and was waiting for a transplant.

Before entering the hospital last month, Hayes said he'd been hospitalized over 20 times in the past year, ESPN reported.

According to ESPN, Hayes was placed on the waiting list in December for a transplant at the Mayo Clinic and Northwestern Medicine.

Hayes suspects the use of nonprescription pain medications caused his condition, combined with a family history of liver disease, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.