Synopses & Reviews
Former New York Jets quarterback Ray Lucas never let the word cant into his vocabulary. He overcame questions about his size and skills to emerge as the starting quarterback at Rutgers University and went on to play seven seasons in the NFL, including key roles on the New England Patriots and New York Jets under head coach Bill Parcells. Lucass career came to a sudden end at age 30, when a neck injury caused him to collapse on the sideline during training camp. Lucas transition to life after football appeared to be a success—the outspoken New Jersey native soon landed on SNY and the Rutgers football telecasts as an announcer. Yet Lucas dealt with constant pain on a daily basis. The NFLs doctors just increased the dosage of painkillers. Surgery, they said, was not an option. Soon Lucas was without a full-time job, his NFL insurance coverage had ended, and his tolerance for medication had grown to the point where he was paying thousands of dollars each month for painkillers. He reached out to the NFL and NFLPA—to no avail. The players association was in a fundraising stage and could not be bothered. Depressed and in constant pain, Lucas planned his own suicide. He would drive to the George Washington Bridge and take a sharp right into the Hudson River. Just days before he planned to take his life, Lucas was put in touch with Pain Alternatives, Solutions and Treatments (PAST), a group of New Jersey doctors who agreed to perform neck surgery on Lucas free of charge. Since then, Lucas has had two surgeries on his neck and spent time in a drug rehabilitation facility in Florida. He has been drug-free since early 2011 and recently won an Emmy for his work covering the Jets for SNY. In Under Pressure, Lucas provides fans with a timely, uncensored look at pro footballs play-at-all costs culture. He shares how—in a league without guaranteed contracts and careers that average just a few seasons long—players in the training room are perceived to lack the toughness necessary to succeed on the field. This prevailing attitude leads to widespread abuse of painkillers and leaves many former players unable to lead a normal life once their playing career ends.
Synopsis
In Under Pressure, Ray Lucas provides fans with a timely, uncensored look at pro football's play-at-all-costs culture. Overcoming questions about his size and skills as a quarterback, Lucas persevered and went on to play seven seasons in the NFL. His professional football career, however, came to a sudden end at age 30, when a neck injury caused him to collapse on the sideline during training camp. Instructed by NFL doctors that surgery wasn't an option, Lucas turned to painkillers for relief, but as his tolerance for medication escalated and his NFL insurance coverage expired, he began to plan his suicide. Just days before he planned to take his life, Lucas was put in touch with a group of doctors who agreed to perform neck surgery free of charge. In this tell-all, Lucas shares how--in a league without guaranteed contracts and careers that average just a few seasons long--players in the training room are perceived to lack the toughness necessary to succeed on the field. He discusses how this prevailing attitude leads to widespread abuse of painkillers and leaves many former players unable to lead a normal life once their playing career ends while also sharing details on how he overcame his drug addiction and turned his own life around.
Synopsis
In Under Pressure, Ray Lucas provides fans with a timely, uncensored look at pro footballs play-at-all-costs culture. Overcoming questions about his size and skills as a quarterback, Lucas persevered and went on to play seven seasons in the NFL. His professional football career, however, came to a sudden end at age 30, when a neck injury caused him to collapse on the sideline during training camp. Instructed by NFL doctors that surgery wasnt an option, Lucas turned to painkillers for relief, but as his tolerance for medication escalated and his NFL insurance coverage expired, he began to plan his suicide. Just days before he planned to take his life, Lucas was put in touch with a group of doctors who agreed to perform neck surgery free of charge. In this tell-all, Lucas shares how—in a league without guaranteed contracts and careers that average just a few seasons long—players in the training room are perceived to lack the toughness necessary to succeed on the field. He discusses how this prevailing attitude leads to widespread abuse of painkillers and leaves many former players unable to lead a normal life once their playing career ends while also sharing details on how he overcame his drug addiction and turned his own life around.
About the Author
Ray Lucas played seven seasons in the NFL as a quarterback and special teams player for the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, and Baltimore Ravens. He is an analyst covering the Jets for SNY New York. A Rutgers graduate, in 2009 Lucas joined the Rutgers Football Radio Network as a color analyst. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and three daughters. David Seigerman is a veteran sports journalist whose writing career began in newspapers (Newsday, Jackson Sun) and moved on to magazines (College Sports Magazine). In 1996 he moved from print to broadcast media, becoming a field producer for CNN/SI and eventually the managing editor at College Sports Television. Since 2003, he has been a freelance writer and producer, and co-wrote and co-produced the feature-length documentary, The Warrior Ethos: The Experience and Tradition of Boxing at West Point. He coauthored Take Your Eye Off the Ball with NFL analyst Pat Kirwin.