CAMDEN, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Sports always came easily for former NFL quarterback Ray Lucas, but his injuries led him to a fight for his life against opioid addiction.
“Thirty-three surgeries — six neck, 19 knee surgeries, five right shoulder. I mean, I’ve had all the surgeries. I’m in pain every second of every day. But I don’t take any pills,” he said.
Lucas said at one point, he was taking up to 80 pills a day.
“I wasn’t a father, I wasn’t a son. I wasn’t a brother, I wasn’t a friend, I was nothing. So for me to tell my story so they can maybe avoid the pitfall, that one slip, that one hand to mouth,” Lucas said.
“I will turn into an animal if I start taking the meds again,” he said. “I don’t ever want to be that person again.”
The former Rutgers University standout partnered with Drug Free New Jersey and has been traveling with them to share his story. On Wednesday, he made a stop at Camden High School. He says if this helps just one kid say no to painkillers, it’s a success for him.
Lucas says many athletes like him have opted to take pain pills to get back on the field sooner. He says this can destroy your athletic career as well as your life.
“Don’t let any of this stuff cloud your judgment because at the end of the day, the man who looks back at you when you look in that mirror is the only man that counts,” he said.