Before Terry Crews entered showbiz, the Brooklyn 99 actor had a 5 stint as a linebacker in the NFL. Having played for 6 teams, Crews in the early 90s failed to break into a regular starter spot. After constant failures and a few life-altering experiences, Crews called it quits. Despite his NFL career ending nearly three decades ago, the actor still has chills reminiscing about the toxic locker room culture of the league back then, including being teammates with part-time drug dealers.
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8 months ago, while conversing with Neal Brennan, Crews gave an insight into the toxicity prevalent in the NFL of the ’90s. The TV host revealed that from coaches to teammates, everyone in the locker room was out there to get each other. While the coaches wanted to replace players at every second, Crews’ few teammates were drug dealers.
“I knew drug dealers in the NFL,” said Terry referring to his former teammate [now in jail] Daryl Henley.
According to Crews, social media might just have been the saving grace for the league, the popularity of which saw things get better in the NFL.
“Pre-social media NFL was Alphas on Alphas. It’s all challenges, it’s all one-upmanship. It’s like being in prison and it’s all it’s like being hazed 24/7… The coaches are looking to replace you every second, the other players are looking like you’re a challenge. You’re with drug dealers in the NFL. In the same team, you pray that whoever’s ahead of you gets hurt.”
Due to the coaches not backing players enough, an air of one-upmanship and extreme competitiveness was created in the locker room. This led to teammates paying for injuries of their colleagues, just to eliminate competition. Crews labeled the toxicity of that era akin to being in a prison.
Apart from toxicity, the 90s also saw a slew of horrific injuries. Terry unfortunately or fortunately saw a lot of his fellow players suffer horrific injuries which further alienated him from the game, consequently ending his football journey.
Terry Crews Reveals What Made Him Quit Football
During his playing days, Terry saw a horrific finger cut happen to his teammate. While attempting a catch, the player snapped the tip of his finger and it lay hanging deadpan in his glove. The visuals horrified the Brooklyn 99 Star. Another incident saw Terry witnessing Detroit Lions Guard Mile Utley never able to walk again after breaking his neck in a freak accident on the field
“I remember the first game I was on the Rams and we were playing the Lions. He [Mile] went for a block and broke his neck and never walked again.”
Terry likened his frightfulness to the NFL world’s reaction to the Bills’ Damar Hamlin collapse incident. Witnessing such career-ending and life-threatening injuries cast a fear in Terry’s mind that he could also be the next to be on the receiving end.
“A friend of mine lost the tip of his finger. I’ll never forget this. It was still in his glove when he pulled it off because he got it caught and I was on the plane like I don’t like this… I was just like I remember that could be me, man. I thought about my kids, I thought about my wife…”
The TV host thus decided to hang up his boots for his safety, and the betterment of his family. Moreover, Crews never saw football as the end game. He always wanted to be an entertainer. So sailing away from the dangerous waters of the NFL was an easy decision for the actor. But most importantly, he put his family first.
