Former NFL quarterback Ray Lucas has checked himself into a Florida rehabilitation center for an addiction to pain killers, according to the Associated Press.
Now 38, Lucas played eight seasons with four teams – most notably the New York Jets – before retiring following the 2003 season.
Lucas checked into the Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches in Florida for treatment.
Lucas most recent fight with pain was in September, 2010. He underwent neck surgery at Franklin Hospital in Valley Stream, L.I. to repair impinged nerves caused by injuries suffered during his career. The pain was so debilitating it made it difficult for Lucas to get out of bed on some mornings.
At one point, Lucas spoke with organizations that aided retired NFL players, but officials from those groups said they couldn’t help him. Then he contacted Pain Alternatives, Solutions and Treatments, a New Jersey medical group. They use “surgery, chiropractic care, counseling and other disciplines to treat chronic pain.”
It would seem even that wasn’t enough. Lucas still turned to medication to treat his pain.
Lucas told the AP, former Buccaneers center Randy Grimes, a counselor at the facility who suffered from the same addiction, is a source of motivation.
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