Former NFL quarterback Ray Lucas may not be a household name to anyone living outside of the New York City or Great Miami metropolitan areas as he played for the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins after finishing his collegiate career at Rutgers University. He can currently be seen weekly as n NFL analyst on SNY in New York. During a recent episode of the GQ documentary web series "Casualties of the Gridiron," Lucas was stunningly candid about his struggles with drug addiction following his seven year career as a professional football player. He estimates that he has suffered 19 concussions that he is aware of in his career. He also suffers a myriad of skeletal issues as well as multiple problems with his central nervous system. Collectively, his injuries cause him so much pain that he says he took up to 80 prescription pain pills per day just to be able to function. Another quandary which exacerbated the issue was the fact that the NFL health insurance ended the moment he retired, and his medical issues were so extensive that no other insurer would dare cover him with the pre-existing issues.
"All of our money, thousands of dollars of months, was spent to feed my addiction," said Lucas. "I was doing this because my life after the NFL was consumed by pain."
So, you still think football is a good idea for your pre-teen child? Video from the episode featuring Lucas can be seen below.
