@arthur wiebe Shame on you. Character is a choice. I encourage you to choose again. I too met Lyle when he owned a restaurant on La Cienega. The man didn't know me, but spent 5 minutes at my table telling stories, couldn't have been nicer.
My best buddy who passed in 96. He told me stories about him n Lyle working out together with the Raiders. Wild lives they both had. R.I.P LYLE and DON. You were one badass singer. I'll see you very soon. But not yet. Not yet
I watched this when it aired. I was 21 and about to start using roids. I heard his message loud and clear and because of Lyle I never ended up using them. I always envied the huge muscle guys in Golds Gym Northridge California, but deep down I was glad and still glad I never used them . I'm 47 and very healthy and fit. Had I used steroids, I may not be writing this statement! RIP Mr Alzedo
@Joseph Kobatake it's a combination of factors bit genetics determine whether a person on steroids dies of a heart attack. Taking low doses of a few different steroids on and off isn't going to make most people sick. Lou Simmons of westside barbell has been on steroids for just under 50 years and he's still going strong.
My uncle took me to meet Lyle and the other Raiders at training camp in Oxnard Ca back in the 80s. Lyle was such a nice man. I will not forget the kindness he showed to me and everyone around him.
He admitted playing with a lot of anger and channeling that to devastating effect, I remember some footage of him threatening Gene Upshaw, when he was with the Broncos :-)
He wanted to be remembered for using steroids. There’s another interview he did and he even said it himself so other players especially children or kids can avoid the same pitfalls
Everything about this era was much more real than what we have today.. The player and the man that he was, the actual reporter doing an honest interview without being censored by the news outlets or the NFL themselves... We lived in a much better place back then.
WTF are you talking about? Where are you going with that comment? Do you really think people can't give good interviews now? I've watched some very good interviews in recent years, NFL and beyond. As for Lyle? Steroids didn't cause his cancer. Tough guy and great football player.
Takes a lot of guts to put down your pride and admit when you've done something wrong. Lyle you were a great person, player and actor. Been almost 30 years since you've past and you're character, feelings and true personality is one of a Kind. RIP
I took no joy in watching this video. 27 years later I still feel bad for him. He made a mistake, but damn, what a awful price to pay. I wish some how he could have been given a second chance. RIP Lyle. :(
To be fair, there is no guarantee that steroids he used caused his cancer. There is however a guarantee that he would have never made the NFL had he not. Also, it's important to remember that he ABUSED steroids to an extreme. My guess is, it greatly exasperated any health issues he was predisposed to. Whether he would have gotten cancer had he not, we'll never know. RIP.
Roy Firestone? A professional? He was corny af. Usually mining for emotional paydirt at the expense of good reportage. That's why he was perfect as itself in Jerry Maguire. He was the Barbara Walters of sports. His biggest professional black eye, poor choice of words aside, was his early 90s interview with O.J. Simpson. Roy asked about an incident involving alleged abuse of his wife. Apparently he had done no investigative journalism about the allegation bc he let The Juice quickly dismiss it as a non-event and they proceeded to have a really chummy sit down. In reality, he had beaten her that evening and in fact Nicole Simpson was hospitalized as a result of it. Two years later... well, it's fair to say that the interview didn't age well. Then there was the interview with Bobby Knight after footage of Knight putting his hand on one of his players throats became public. Firestone hadn't even watched the tape! I suggest you go watch that interview. At one point, Firestone is so rattled he drops all of his papers and Bobby Knight asks if everything is okay. TV personality? Sure. Celebrity athlete interviewer? Okay. A Professional Journalist? Negative.
He built his body up to 270 pounds of muscle and died at 160 pounds. It was a very sad situation. I was 14 at the time of his death in 1992 and I remember this like it was yesterday. It was around the time of the WWF steroid trials where all the top wrestlers got off their cycle and all shrunk (Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, etc).
I saw this interview as a kid. More than 30 years later have never forgotten it and I'm still inspired by it. Mr. Alzado was a hero to me as a kid and even more so when he was sick. Now as a father my young kids will know who he is as an example to make the right decisions while they can. Thank you, Sir and God bless your family.
It’s New Years Eve and here I am watching this clip. May you be at peace Lyle, and may your message resonate not only for steroids but for any ill advised drug. I hope you’re at peace and watching over your loved ones, Lyle! ❤️
Sad , I think the brain cancer was more likely from severe head trauma , hard hits and concussions. He died way to young. I'm glad I got to watch Lyle play . He was one of my favorite players as a kid. Rip Lyle we will always remember how hard you played the game and with such emotion.
You know what....I think you hit the nail on the head with that one....Just thinking about it....considering pure Rage he put out in that Raider uniform due to his abusive childhood, the numerous concussions, his behavior in and out of the field....I really think he was actually misinformed and misdiagnosed about his condition...and the Chemo was the only thing that killed him......you have to keep in mind that the NFL and the quack doctors he went to were oblivious and ignorant to the permanent brain damage that comes with the sport of Football at that particular time....im not condoning the use of PEDs but I DONT THINK STERIODS IS TO BLAME for Lyle Alzados demise....just my opinion
Jodi Henry I'm only going to say it one more time Jody Henry he got brain cancer from a cadaver they took the pituitary gland growth hormone out and gave it to him therefore he got a human form of mad cow disease look it up in the eighties and early nineties lots of bodybuilders died and athletes to it's even in the video when his brother Pete says Lyle obtained some human growth hormone from Europe and they didn't know what was in that it was fun a human cadaver. yes hard hits to the Head are brutal but they don't cause brain cancer
Blunt force trauma does not cause brain cancer in any way shape or form, he already had the melanoma and all the human growth hormone he was taking literally advanced the growth of the tumor over 10x faster than it would normally grow. If he never did growth hormone it would have stayed small and he probably would have never heard of it and if he did he would be over 70 for sure.
Jodi Henry it wasn't brain cancer it was that disease you get from dead bodies because back then that's how they made human growth hormone, from the glands of dead bodies
I saw Alzado play the Steelers back in 1983 in the L.A. Colosseum. He was huge. Then I saw him walking down Westwood Blvd. with his wife in 1988. . His eyes looked so sad. He was always a bad ass, but in reality he was a teddy bear.
I met lyle as a kid when he played with and a part of the cardiak kids. I loved him and i miss him he was a great football icon. And anyone who wants to talk bad about him why dont they look at what he did for sick children he was a good man under the bad ass he was.
Lyle Alzado was such gracious person who showed how much courage he had when he told the truth. He didn't have to speak out against his steroid use since the doctors found no direct link to his steroid use and his brain tumor, but that is the whole point. He showed how much of hero is truly was when he spoke out when he was dying when he could have easily said nothing. God bless and continue to RIP, Mr. Alzado.
Look at the body building world right now... I always come back to this. He died the year I was born, I’ve been fascinated by him ever since seeing a special on him.
Dr Ken Leistner was a powerlifter, writer, chiropractor, etc., from NY. He wrote about Lyle’s work ethic, working on a trash truck in the summer heat, wearing a weight vest, etc., to supplement his training, etc. Nothing but admiration for Lyle.
This man should be in the hall of fame! Over a thousand tackles, over a hundred sacks, and a super bowl win not to mention a sixteen year career. But above all else a down to earth human being who went above and beyond to be open and honest about something wrong he did and in my opinion that takes a true human being to do that. RIP Lyle.
@@bauerj3398 The NFL is such a hypocrisy it makes me sick. They never talk about the amphetamines those guys used by the boatloads of that Era. He was using hgh when they couldn't find it in 1990 when he came out of retirement and tried to play again.
In '85, I was up on the balcony, overlooking the workout area at the Venice Beach Gold's Gym. I "sort of" met Mr. Alzado. I had turned to my left, looking him right in the face. I was speechless. This guy was so intimidating & and big that I said nothing and just walked away. He was a scary big dude! Note: I was (& still am) a skinny musician, which added to the fear element. I wish I knew then what I know now, as I would have said something to him and prayed for him (if I had foresight of what his next 5 years were to be. On a plus experience. I met back up with my buddies downstairs to run into David Lee Roth just as he was leaving! He was super cool & signed autographs for us.
He could’ve just faded out without saying a word. He was called a “hero” for his on field exploits. His honesty at the end is what made him truly heroic.
I’m watching the raider right now...but there will never be a raider like Lyle Alzado again...you gave me the luv of 🏈...luv ya Lyle Alzado...I know your resting comfortably in peace🙏🏾
I think he was a Good guy during this Interivew and during this time Period when he got humbled., but I wa a Asshole Bully at least on the Field and maybe off the Field. Maybe he repented at the End. Maybe he should have apologized for his Bullying Stuff.
its the hgh not the steroids. the hgh causes cancer cells to grow more just like it cause muscle cells to grow more. sadly he probably had a cell in his brain that mutated and then just more grew from the hgh usage. still sad to watch. he did not deserve this.
Lyle was a BEAST on the field and Roid rage was part of the reason. However he was a kind, humble man off the field especially in the years before he passed. RIP Lyle.
@@horstebreedow8608 for us Americans it’s football, but for foreigners it’s “American” football because they are not American. It works for foods too when you travel outside of the US.
The 80’s was an extremely dangerous decade for young men, alcohol & drugs rampant. Steroids without knowing the full side effects was prevalent. AIDS epidemic, it was a scary time in America.
He was a crazy bastard. Alzado, Romanowski, Tatum were all infamous players for a reason. It takes balls to address your demons. Takes bigger balls to help a new gen avoid what you did. Lyle has my respect
RIP Lyle Alzado, graduated from the same High School as Lyle, followed him his whole career...those bashing Lyle here in the comment section should stf...Lyle does not say steroids alone gave him brain cancer...he ALWAYS said HGH (humane growth hormone) he started taking towards the end of his football career was the next 'drug' he took to try and extend his football career was his downfall...to Lyle this was the 'natural' progression taken by athletes who are trying to gain an advantage...and of course Lyle is RIGHT...NFL should have policies to protect the players from taking potential dangerous drugs(PED) to stay in the NFL
Playing the old clip was so petty. Kudos to this man for choosing to do some good during his final days. He chose to do his best with the time he had left. Many people don’t.
Cuando yo te vi por primera vez allá por los ochentas inmediatamente te convertiste en mi ídolo por tu agresividad al defender a los raiders,y me dió muchísima tristeza al saber que moriste por eso que metiste a tu cuerpo, creo yo que no lo necesitabas pero tú así lo decidiste,y lo digo sinceramente seguirás siendo mi IDOLO por siempre 😢
My father had season tickets to the Raiders that superbowl year and for years to follow. I remember getting to games early (sometimes before 11am) I would watch Alzado (and other Raiders) come out on the field and do his warm ups. As a 5th grade kid, I used to swear he was staring at me from time to time while doing his warm-ups. We were in Section 10, row 27, seats 5 and 6 near the famous locking room opening in the coliseum. I would watch Alzado doing his warm-ups in that end-zone thru binoculars, and swore he was looking at me. I used to look away when it happened, lol.
As a kid, I was afraid of Lyle Alzado. As a teenager, I was empathetic for him. As a grown man, I have reverence for Lyle Alzado. Good dude. Flawed? Yes. But who isn’t? He made mistakes, but in the end he wanted to do the right thing and he saved lives. God bless you, Lyle. We will never forget you. 🙏
Maybe he didn't like being in Cleveland, but the fans loved having him with the Browns. If there's a "Football Heaven," I'll bet Lyle's there! Put in a good word for us, brother.
What this interview reinforces is the power of prayer. It free and very powerful. I have had to deal my mortality at least 3 times in my life to where praying helped save my life. God started helping me when I stopped asking the wrong questions. God and Jesus Christ will always be there for you, no matter what. There is no greater power in this universe when you have God on your side.
I too saw this when it originallly aired..July 1991 when i was about to turn 20. It was shocking( like WTAF?) to me to see him looking like that after he appeared as a guest on one of the Late Nite shows about 10 months prior(he looked like the same old Alzado)
My mother passed a few years ago with CNS lymphoma same as Lyle's so this story hits hard. This is a rare form of cancer only affecting around 1000 people a year. No one has truly figured the cause of this form of cancer and we may never fully know so I'm not here to say that steroid abuse or anything directly leads to this cancer. What is known is that this particular tumor tends to be found in those with weakened immune systems. There are thousands of illnesses, drugs and other things that will weaken an immune system. With my Mom's situation, she used prednisone and several prescription pain killers as prescribed over the years due to her arthritis and some other conditions she had in her life. No doubt her immune system was weakened over the years but we'll probably never know the real reason. What I've learned from my mom's life, this tragedy and many others is that you only have one life and one body and we must watch what we put into our body in excess. While I'm not into holistic medicine, I try not to put anything into my body either prescribed or over the counter unless needed. Also, I pray daily that no one ever has to live through this illness as it took my mother and others so quickly and horribly. I also pray that folks take care of their body and treat it with kindness. RIP to this warrior and others succumbed to this illness who never got to finish their story.
All people should be like alzado, how he is now. God bless you Cathy for being a wonderful women.. it takes a strong women to do all that you've done. I know it's really hard but keep doing it..
I remember seeing it had to be his last interview I forget what show it was on but the literally had to help him off of the stage it was very very sad to see I think 2 weeks later he was gone
