- A former football tight end told Insider the sport evaluates players' ability based on their weight, which can lead to disordered eating.
- Some NFL and college players have spoken up about how the sport may have contributed to their binge eating.
Before he could play college football, Patrick Devenny needed to put on 25 pounds in two months.
Devenny, a former tight end at Colorado University who practiced with the Seattle Seahawks, said the pressure to stay big enough to compete with a Division I team meant bingeing rice and chicken and chugging protein shakes, as coaches regularly evaluated Devenny's weight and body fat percentage.
Soon after graduating, Devenny's told Insider his binge eating got so bad he visited a friend and stayed up late eating food meant for his friend's children.
"[My friend] woke me up and said, 'Dude, I know you're going through a lot, but when I wake up and I don't have any food to feed my kids, we have an issue,'" Devenny said. "That crushed me."
For the last five years, Devenny has spoken publicly about how football may have exacerbated his eating disorder. He said the pressure to gain weight quickly can lead to unhealthy eating habits. "I would say standing in the locker room, you will see a majority of the guys — and they won't know it — struggling with disordered eating or an eating disorder," he said.
Though Devenny said the NFL and NCAA have not adequately addressed how pernicious disordered eating is among football players, he hopes more athletes opening up about once-taboo topics like their mental illness will eventually spark change in this area, too.
Along with Devenny, here are 3 other football players who have opened up about disordered eating:
A former NFL offensive lineman felt compelled to eat a meal every two hours
During his 11-year stint as an offensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns, Joe Thomas said he needed to eat something nearly every two hours to maintain his 300 lb frame.
Thomas told ESPN a typical day of eating might have included eight eggs, three pancakes, pasta, meatballs, two protein shakes, an entire pizza, a sleeve of cookies, and a bowl of ice cream. One order from McDonald's would consist of two double cheeseburgers, two McChickens, a double quarter-pounder with cheese, one large order of fries, and a large pop, he told the outlet.
Thomas said he felt if he didn't eat every two hours, he'd be nervous he would lose weight and get in trouble with his coach.
"We got weighed in on Mondays, and if I lost 5 pounds, my coach was going to give me hell," Thomas said.
"You're training yourself to have an eating disorder the way you view food when you're in the NFL," he added, "and to try to deprogram that is a real challenge."
Hall of Famer Alan Faneca reduced his calorie intake by 2,200 after he retired
Former offensive guard Alan Faneca, who won the Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006, told ESPN he reduced his calorie intake from 4,000 during his playing days — which maintained his 320 lb frame — to just 1,800.
Today's top players consume just as much to maintain their frame, like 330-pound Philadelphia Eagles star Lane Johnson, who consumes 5,500 calories a day, but one study suggests overeating creates stress on the body that leads to inflammation.
Faneca told FOX Sports he experienced aching joints and food cravings during his time in the NFL. He said he believes weight gain in the NFL deserve as much attention as other health problems associated with football, like brain injuries.
"Most guys should think about it," Faneca said regarding weight gain in the NFL. "Especially in this new era of the NFL. Big today isn't necessarily all muscle. You can you be 340, 350 and still move. But that's not necessarily healthy, and it's not going to prolong your life, especially when you're out of football dealing with post-football injuries."
A formidable Penn State kicker admitted to having a binge eating disorder
Former Penn State kicker Joey Julius made an impression during his brief stint in the NCAA, earning Big Ten All-Freshman honors and earning the title "hardest-hitting kicker in college football" from ESPN.
But Julius left the team soon after admitting to having an eating disorder. Julius said on Facebook he had to miss school because he was receiving treatment at an eating disorder treatment center in St. Louis.
On Facebook, the former college player said he had a binge eating disorder, which is characterized by eating to intense fullness.
"I was always calling myself fat, disgusting, lazy, ugly," Julius told ABC News in 2016. "My name is Joey Julius and I have an eating disorder."