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| credit daveynin on Flickr |
I grew up in suburban Philadelphia, only a few miles from
Eagles training camp at West Chester University. During the 1980s, the Eagles vs. Cowboys
rivalry was one of the best ones going. And
it brought out lots of bizarre behavior in my feathered brethren (stay classy,
Philadelphia). Eagles coach Buddy Ryan
put a bounty on the Cowboy’s place kicker.
A future governor passed out twenties to any fan who could hit a Cowboy
with a snowball from the 700 level.
There was no love lost.
I’ve now mellowed on the Cowboys, just a little. Even though you could build 60 elementary
schools with what it cost to build their stadium (literally), you have to
marvel at how well the franchise has been run.
It’s really not that often that their coach gets busted taking guns
through airports or their players get caught trafficking 175 pounds of marijuana (Nate, what WERE you thinking???).
And the pep squad isn’t too bad looking.
So it is in this new spirit of détente that I kick off
the 2010 NFL season with a Pounds Off Profile of Nate Newton. The six-time Pro Bowl lineman has lost 130 pounds following gastric sleeve surgery, which is the equivalent of squishing
your stomach from a football down to a banana, I am told.
I’m conservative about weight loss surgery, believing
that it should be undertaken only after diet and exercise no longer are viable
options and surgery is needed to avoid serious health issues. In Newton’s case, it seems to have made
sense. He topped out at 411 pounds, with
diabetes and high blood pressure. At 48
years old, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say he was going to die. So he had the surgery and started exercising
two hours a day. So far, it’s been a
success, thank goodness.
I’ve used the phrase “guilty pleasure” to describe overweight
entertainers before. But the NFL has the
corner on that market. In fact, in
trying to find pro football player weight loss stories, I’ve found a disturbing
number of cases where players get in trouble with their team for losing too much weight. That being the
case, let’s acknowledge Nate Newton. He
should have found health before his post career troubles found him. He probably could have done it without
surgery if he’d have acted sooner. But
he’s doing it. He’s lost 130 pounds and
he’s healthier than he’s been in years.
This is one Cowboy I’ll be rooting for.
Tony Romo, not so much.
7 comments:
Hi Alan,
Great post!!!! Seems so strange that an employer would want their "employee" to be unhealthy - I don't care what the profession is. I am glad he has taken steps to get healthy and I too wish that he could have done it without surgery. At least it's working for him!!
Keep focused on your journey!!!
It seems that atheletes pushed to the extremes of the NFL really are not healthy extremes. The trade off they make to make boat loads of cash I guess.
Go Bears!
The NFL is not a place for healthy living. For as much exercise as these guys do, most of them wind up unhealthy. Only the few in broadcasting seem to keep it together. I have ex players in my practice. They are either beat to hell with joint and back problems OR very fat. All that being big and fit turns to just being big when they quit playing. Good for Nate! I actually knew all about Nate as I listen to his radio show everyday.
I detect a hint of jealousy about our fabulous stadium there, Alan. BTW it's gorgeous, but we Texans refer to it either as "Jerry's World" "the Death Star" or "Boss Hog Stadium". I'll be thinking of you as I watch the Cowboys v Titans game in October. I was given tickets by a friend yesterday. Yippee! Go BOYS!
Great info! I really enjoy reading these profiles. :) It sounds like people realllllly get crazy about football! Cincinnati's Bengals are kind of a joke these days (with all the arrests and whatnot). People around here actually get more into high school football. That's sad. I am conservative about weight-loss surgery, too, and I think you're right: Surgery was the right thing for Nate. Seeing people take charge of their lives is wonderful! I'm rooting for him, too. :)
Excellent!
I agree with the surgery piece for almost everything physical - should be a last resort. (Mind you for spiritual things it should be first resort! ... what?)
I'm a steelers fan - Harris, Swan, Stauback ... but the Eagles are good too - liked Dick Vermeil and Jaworski
... INVINCIBLE!
Boo-hiss Cowboys-down with pretty boy Romo.
It is good to hear about Nate cleaning and streamlining himself up. Especially knowing how the NFL seems to forget about players when they retire, its nice that some are actually able to get healthy again after rejoining the real world.
Polar's Mom
Thank for stopping by my blog and I agree that it is awful what the NFL does not want their players to be healthy. I guess they just want them big. I am interested to follow your progress on this Pounds off Playoff of yours. I will follow you and see how you do. Congrats on making the decision to get healthy..
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