NFL superstar Von Miller is opening up about his battle with coronavirus ... saying he was so scared of the illness in its early stages -- the thought of dying entered his head.
"I wouldn’t say that I thought I was going to die or anything like that," Miller told the Washington Post this week, "but it did cross my mind a little bit."
The Denver Broncos pass rusher was diagnosed with COVID-19 back on April 16 ... and other than speaking about a cough and general malaise, Miller didn't publicly seem too concerned about the virus' effects on him.
But, in a new interview with the Washington Post ... Von says he was far more worried about his symptoms than he initially led on.
"I got asthma, but it was past the asthma attack -- like my lungs were constricting," Miller said. "My asthma nebulizer helped, but it still didn’t feel like it was supposed to."
"That was the most frightening part. Just going to sleep knowing that my oxygen level could drop and I could wake up and have to go to the hospital."
Miller claims he also lost his appetite and sense of smell and taste due to coronavirus ... adding, "The first four, five days I was honestly nervous."
Fortunately for Von, the 31-year-old was able to fight off the virus ... testing negative for COVID just a few days ago.
Now, the NFL player is sending an important message to people doubting the virus' capabilities ... saying, "Take all of this serious. Take social distancing serious."