Bruce Arians Reveals Major Health Scare Last Month: 'Knives Going In'

Former Tampa Bay Bucs coach Bruce Arians had a major health scare last month.

Five days before his 70th birthday, Arians, who left the Bucs' sidelines after last season to work in the front office, experienced chest pains while hosting people at his house.

“On the night before the Atlanta game (Oct. 8), we had a house full of people,” Arians told JoeBucsFan.com. "We ate and I got these pains way up here, like two knives going in. The more I tried to take a breath, the worse it got.

“I took some TUMS, thinking it was indigestion, but it just got worse. I called (wife) Christine back to the bedroom and said I can’t shake this pain. We called 911 and they put me on a stretcher to Tampa General."

Ex-Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians hospitalized. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images).

Ex-Bucs Coach Bruce Arians hospitalized with possible heart attack

Arians ended up staying the hospital for four days after doctors originally feared he suffered a mild heart attack. They later changed that diagnosis to myocarditis.

“Thankfully, the scans showed no fluid, no heart damage and absolutely no blockages,” Arians said. “They had a cardiac radiologist look at everything and they ended up giving me anti-inflammatories.”

Arians missed the next two games, but returned to the stadium for the Thursday night loss to the Ravens. The 2021 Super Bowl champ also said he stayed in "daily" communication with offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich during the Bucs’ three-game losing.

The team has since won two straight, including Sunday's win over in Germany.

Arians, 70, also experienced a major scare in 2016 when he was also hospitalized with heart attack symptoms while he was coaching the Arizona Cardinals.

He briefly retired before taking over the Bucs in 2019 and winning the Super Bowl the following season.

He's currently Tampa Bay’s senior adviser to general manager Jason Licht.