One of Northern Kentucky’s most recognizable and successful former athletic stars is battling serious health issues.

Jared Lorenzen, a 1999 Highlands High School graduate who went on to play for the New York Giants in the NFL, was hospitalized over the weekend.

Lorenzen’s family shared a statement with Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio.

It read: “On Friday, June 28, Jared began playing a bigger, more important game than he’s ever played before. Jared had not been feeling well for a few weeks and that finally caught up with him. He was brought to the hospital and fairly quickly was admitted to the ICU. Jared is battling an infection, kidney and heart issues. He is fighting with everything he has and his immediate family is by his side. We will attempt to update as often as possible, but please respect that some aspects of this journey are private matters.”

Lorenzen was named Kentucky Mr. Football for the 1998 season, when he led the Bluebirds to a 15-0 record and a state championship. He threw for 3,392 yards and 45 touchdowns that season, helping the Bluebirds average more than 53 points and 493 yards per game that season. Highlands’ 801 points in 1998 were a state record until the Bluebirds posted 849 in 2011.

His 89 career touchdown passes is third in Northern Kentucky history.

He was a standout quarterback at the University of Kentucky, where he still holds career records for total yards, completions, and passing yards. His 528 passing yards against Georgia in 2000 is also a UK record. Lorenzen has inducted into the UK athletic hall of fame in 2015.

Lorenzen then went on to the NFL, where he played for the New York Giants. He was a backup quarterback to Eli Manning when the Giants won Super Bowl XLII in 2008, spoiling New England’s undefeated season.

In recent years, he built and played for the Northern Kentucky River Monsters, an indoor football team that played in BB&T Arena. A broken leg in a River Monsters game ended his playing career. Lorenzen had been publicly battling weight issues the last couple of years.

He is a co-founder of ThrowboyTees.com, which sells custom-made T-shirts.

Lorenzen lives in Fort Thomas and has two children in the Fort Thomas Independent School District.