Even if you don’t like football, have you ever seen a National Football League (NFL) game. It is impossible not to pay attention to the physical strength and size of professional football players. It is a tough sport that requires incredible athleticism, stamina and technique from the players.
Football players demonstrate their peak capabilities during the match. Each player has his own individual set of skills and his own anthropometry. It all depends on their role on the field. However, you will not see skinny guys there. For example, linemen in the NFL are men with an average weight of 130 kg. There’s no doubt, most of that weight comes from muscle mass.
Receivers and runners have a different skill. They can run 40 yards in just 4.4 seconds and jump 1m high. This is beyond the reach of the average person, which is why NFL spectators are often suspicious that their favorite athletes are taking steroids. This is a fair doubt, so this issue should be examined in more detail. We propose to talk about the audience’s favorite Brian Bosworth. There are a lot of interesting details in his career.
NFL, Steroid Situation, and Brian Bosworth
From the mid-20th century until the late 1980s, no one was surprised by taking steroids. According to internal surveys of NFL players, more than 20% of them used steroids to increase physical strength and power.
In many ways, these statistics are due to the lack of strict regulations on the use of anabolics. Because of this, doping has become massive. Various drugs have been reported in college and high school players.
It wasn’t until 1987 that the NFL introduced special anti-doping tests to control the use of steroids and other banned substances. The doping ban was reinforced by special sanctions: a 90-day ban for the first violation, 180 days for the second, and a 1-year ban for the third violation.
The clearest example of a great career, the use of anabolic drugs and the scandal associated with it, is Brian Bosworth. Many people know him not as a football player, but as a popular actor. However, his sporting achievements are not inferior to cinematic ones. He was twice honored with the Butkus Award and was reputedly named the best athlete on a first-team All-American.
Short Bio of Brian Bosworth
Brian Bosworth (nicknamed “Boz”) was born March 9, 1965 in Oklahoma City. He graduated from MacArthur High School and then went to the University of Oklahoma. It was there that he began to actively engage in football. He played in the student team as a midfielder. Brian became famous not only for his strength, but also for his antics off the football field. He was a handsome and brash young man who made negative remarks about the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The peak of his career fell on 1985-1986. Brian was twice recognized by consensus as the first-team All-American, and twice received the “Butkus Award” prize—the inaugural year of this award was ’85.
The love of the public did not save him from disqualification. He passed a positive doping test and was suspended from football.
Brian Bosworth and the Steroid Scandal
At the end of the 1986 season, the NCAA league commission announced that traces of steroids were found in Brian’s body. The athlete was disqualified and even missed the Orange Bowl, held on January 1, 1987. The epic standoff between Oklahoma and Arkansas passed without the participation of Bosworth. His team won, but Brian still apologized for setting up teammates and fans.
The man did not deny taking anabolic drugs, but claimed that this was not his fault. He stated that the performance-enhancing drugs were prescribed to him by a health worker. They were legal steroids. The reason for the treatment was a shoulder injury and weight loss. According to him, he took prescription drugs and does not understand why they remained in his body for so long. Moreover, he urged the public not to recognize steroids as prohibited substances, because football players have been taking them for many years.
Anabolic steroids are indeed sometimes prescribed to treat injuries. Some athletes take them to help build muscle and gain a few pounds. However, this is hardly the ideal way to become stronger. Anabolics have several reported side effects, including liver swelling.
After Bosworth’s abuse was exposed, he called on the NCAA to establish a grace period where steroid use does not incur any penalty. Futbolit sincerely did not understand why he should take the rap for everyone. His appeal was ignored. Since then, the NCAA and NFL have continued to conduct tests to detect steroids and disqualify players.
This story was told in detail from Brian’s point of view in his autobiography, which he published in 1988. If you want to know more about his views on the use of steroids and the rules set by the NCAA regarding such substances, you can read his book.
There is no exact data on the list of drugs that Brian took. He probably used methandienone (dianabol), a versatile steroid available in pill and injectable form. It is a derivative of testosterone substances and has powerful anabolic and androgenic properties. It also has a pronounced effect on protein, fat and carbohydrate metabolism. It activates protein synthesis in the body. This steroid was very popular during the years when Bosworth was involved in sports.
Bosworth joined the Seattle Seahawks in 1987. Brian spent three full seasons in the NFL, confirming his status as a top player.
Brian Bosworth and Cinematography
In the early 90s, Brian ended his career in sports. He was young, handsome and full of energy. Filmmakers could not get past Bosworth and bombarded him with interesting proposals.
His film debut took place in 1991. He played not the most important in the film, but an important and striking role in the film “Stone Cold”. The audience appreciated both the film and Brian’s acting skills.
Subsequently, he starred in many scenes in which he played main and minor roles, among which are “One Tough Bastard”, “Blackout”, “Three Kings”, “Phase IV” and others. In the film “The Longest Yard”, Brian played an episodic role, but this movie was related to gridiron.
The actor continues to periodically participate in episodic roles in films and in many TV series. For example, in 2010, he starred in the movie “Down and Distance”.
The sportsman married his school girlfriend in the nineties but recently the couple divorced. There are three children from the marriage; Max, Hayley, and Chase
Brian Bosworth has blue eyes, blonde hair, and light skin. In many ways, he’s the stereotypical movie hero and Hollywood embraced him for it.