Why did Brian Bosworth quit football?

You might only know him by his nickname The Boz, but Brian Bosworth is a huge name in the football world and beyond. Over the years he’s appeared in movies, on talk shows, and in commercials, but he got his fame in the beautiful American game. So why did he quit?

Bosworth made a name for himself in college at the University of Oklahoma before being drafted by the Seattle Seahawks for what was then the biggest contract ever for a rookie. He played three seasons with the storied team before calling it quits for good. Let’s take a look at his journey.

Who is Brian Bosworth?

In the 1980s, no one was more of a rebel in college football than Brian Bosworth. Of course, he was known for his crazy hairstyles, but he’s also remembered as one of the greatest college linebackers to ever play the game.

The Boz, who has talked about his rough upbringing, split his time growing up between his grandparents’ farm in Oklahoma and his parents’ house in Texas. In an interview with CBN, he described what that was like.

“I got chaos. My father just didn’t have the tools. His toolbox was empty. I didn’t get what a son needs so he knows how to grow up. Instead of a conversation, I got a beating and punishment. But no love, no ‘I’m sorry’. I never got that from him.”

In college, he quickly established himself as a dominant player. In his sophomore year against the University of Texas, he got 14 tackles and an interception. The Sooners would go on to win the championship that year.

In the 1986 Orange Bowl, he made news when he got suspended from the game for taking steroids. Ever a rabble-rouser, he wore a t-shirt on the sidelines that said “National Communists Against Athletes.” That effectively ended his college career, but not before he won back-to-back Dick Butkus Awards and was a Heisman Trophy finalist.

Continuing his anti-establishment streak, he sent notices to pro teams he didn’t want to play for to not draft him. He wanted to go to the Raiders, but it didn’t work out and instead, he went to the Seahawks.

What made Brian Bosworth give up on football?

In 1989, things came to a head when Bosworth injured his shoulder during a tackle against the Phoenix Cardinals. The team cut him in 1990 after a physical revealed that he would not be able to return due to the injury.

Team doctor Pierce E. Scranton said that Bosworth “had the shoulders of a 60-year-old man.” Bosworth refused to believe that his injury was degenerative, and after a lengthy court battle, he was awarded $7 million after proving the injury happened with just one hit. But his career as a football linebacker was effectively over.

Bosworth joined the Seahawks during the reign of legendary player Bo Jackson, who played for the Raiders. Boz said he would shut Jackson down, and in college, he usually did. Fortunately, the duo ended up becoming good friends, and as Boz said years later, the two were kindred spirits as just like him, Jackson’s career came to a halt due to a hip injury.