Dick Butkus was a big man on the field during a nine-year Pro Football Hall of Fame career. As a linebacker with the Chicago Bears, he used his 6′ 3″, 245-pound body to punish running backs, quarterbacks and wide receivers. He was an intimidating force who inspired the likes of Mike Singletary, Lawrence Taylor, Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher.
The eight-time Pro Bowler is now focused on two other missions: Speaking out against the use of steroids, HGH and other performance-enhancing drugs; and raising awareness about situations regarding former NFL players who have been leveled by health and/or financial troubles.
Among his primary endeavors is the “Play Clean” campaign, headed by Butkus and his son, Matt (pictured). With support from such companies as Old Spice and sports nutrition firm EAS (Energy Athletics Strength), Butkus speaks to young athletes and their parents and coaches about the dangers of steroids and PEDs.
Butkus was at the IDEA World Fitness Convention in Los Angeles on Aug. 12, where he was touting the news that EAS had become the “first major brand to achieve 100% certification of its sports nutrition product line.” He spoke with Big Lead Sports about steroids, the NFL’s treatment of retired players and the future of the NFL.
Big Lead Sports: The subject of steroids and its misuse by athletes obviously is important to you. Does that trace back to your days the NFL?
Dick Butkus: The real awareness and dangers of steroids came after my NFL career, but I have been aware of the situation for a long time. Many years ago, I spoke with my cardiologist, who was attending body builders and former body builders who all had taken steroids. And he found that for many of them, their hearts appeared to be 30 years older than what they should have been. They all had serious medical conditions that were a direct result of their use of steroids. So that, plus the fact that I keep track of what is happening in sports at the high school, college and pro levels, inspired me to form “Play Clean.” My son Matt and I speak directly to coaches, educators, parents, athletes and fans about the dangers steroids and performance enhancing products.
BLS: Does the fact that you played in the NFL and are in the Hall of Fame resonate with young players when you speak with them?
DB: [Laughs.] More so with their parents and coaches. But it’s not so much a situation where I need to convince these players about the dangers of steroids as much as making them aware that they don’t help you but, instead, can really damage your body. The message [resonates] more with parents and coaches, and they are the ones who need to be involved and prevent dangerous steroids and [PEDs] from even becoming a part of lives of these athletes.
BLS: Are you seeing progress?
DB: There is much more testing, so I’d say even down to the high school level there is much more awareness. The NFL is getting closer to testing for HGH [human growth hormone]. There is so much more that we have found out about it and that it causes cancer. [There is] testing that shows it can actually lower your strength instead of raising your strength. So I think it is a good move by the NFL. I think they are doing these guys a favor by helping them out with their health.
BLS: Are other athletes also helping to raise awareness among younger players?
DB: The awareness comes from looking at athletes who used steroids and to see the impact it has had on their health and their bodies. You can link [some of their] deaths directly to their having used steroids, HGH. So through “Play Clean” and working with EAS, we are really out there making people aware of the dangers and the positive alternatives. You can go into a health food store and buy something off the shelf and have a 20% chance of testing positive for steroids. EAS brands are 100% certified. They’ve been tested by the FDA. It’s important to know what you’re taking. You have to look at the ingredients when you look that supplements.
BLS: Why does there seem to be a discrepancy between the way MLB players who are associated with steroids and the way NFL players who are associated with steroids are viewed? Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Mark McGwire, for example, may never get into the baseball Hall of Fame. But Shawn Merriman was suspended for four games in 2006 for violating the NFL’s steroid policy and that season and the next was selected to the Pro Bowl.
DB: That’s a good question. The problem I see is that when we talk about athletes and steroids in any sport is that it’s always about how it relates to their performance on the field and never about their health. So when I’m speaking to kids, I always stress the fact that, yes, [on-field- performance] is a factor, but the way steroids will harm them is much more important. Whether or not these players want to face the facts, it should be more of a reality to them that their health has been impacted rather than they may not make the Hall of Fame.
BLS: Are you able to reach current NFL players with this message?
DB: You know, there are so many important causes that people work for – cancer, steroids, brain damage resulting from concussions – so everyone deals with what is important to them. So I can sit there and talk to them about steroids and HGH, but what might be a priority for them is equally important. Testing by the NFL is a good move. They are doing these guys a favor by helping them out with their health. With “Play Clean,” we are trying to nip that in the bud with high schoolers.
Are they listening? It comes down to the fact that players can lie about whether they use steroids or not. So I say “Shame on them” if they are lying about it. As I said, if their health has been impacted, it eventually comes out. You play to win, but if you have permanently damaged your body because of steroids, is it worth it?
BLS: A cause of equal importance to you is raising awareness about retired NFL players who have been hit hard because of finances or health situations. Does the new CBA more effectively address this?
DB: To a degree. The amount is something like $640 million, which I thought was for this year. But that is over 10 years. So it’s more like $60 million per year into the retirement fund. That’s about what [the Detroit Lions] gave [quarterback Matthew] Stafford as a rookie before he ever played a down.
It is a step in the right direction. Guys who started this league are dying off. So anything is better than nothing. Some of them have really been short-changed. [As for the current players] I don’t think we’ll need to have any tag sale days for them.
BLS: Is the public becoming more aware of this issue?
DB: I think so. When they hear about John Mackey [former ten-year NFL vet and first president of the NFL Players Assn., who died in July due to complications from frontal temporal dementia], it brings the situation to light. But the whole story is still not out there. He got support, but was it enough? People tend to forget about players [after they retire]. We’re not talking about a handful of players, but we’re also not talking about millions of players. The resources need to be made available to take care of the players who need the help.
BLS: You played when the NFL had a strong presence in Los Angeles. What do you think about the possibility of the NFL returning to the area?
DB: It seems as if we are pretty close to where that will happen. My questions are: Which team will come? And where are they going to put all the cars?

Barry Janoff