A former NFL star has revealed the questionable method he used to employ to try and avoid getting injured during his career.
Households across the US will be eagerly anticipating the Thanksgiving NFL fixtures over the next few days.
But for the players, they will no doubt be preparing to go toe-to-toe with their opposition and will have all kinds of weird and wonderful remedies and routines that they employ to give them that extra edge on the field.
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In most sports, pre- and post-match treatment is something that has become important to allow players to optimise their recovery between matches.
Most of this is backed up by scientific research and implemented by medical or sports science teams.
But back in the early 2000s, Chad "Ochocino" Johnson was playing as wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals.
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The 46-year-old was a talented footballer and was named in the First-team All-Pro twice – this is an honour typically afforded to players who were the ‘best in their position’ in each season.
Johnson played for the Bengals for almost a decade before moving on to the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins.
He saw out his career at Canadian Football League outfit Montreal Alouettes and Mexico-based Fundidores de Monterrey, who compete in the Professional American Football League.
Given the impact inflicted on players’ bodies, competing at a high level for so long is certainly something to be applauded.
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However, Johnson used a rather alternative method to avoid injuries, which he revealed in a 2016 interview on ESPN’s show Mike and Mike [via CBS Sports].
"You know what I did for ankle sprains?" the former NFL star said.
"I would collect warm urine from my teammates, heat it up and put my ankle in it for 30 minutes."
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"Yeah, that worked,” he insisted.
The topic was once again discussed on the ‘7 PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony’ podcast.
After admitting he had been introduced to the remedy by his grandmother, Johnson defended his unusual post-match method.
"There [is] a reason I [have] never been injured, [because of] home remedies," he said.
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"I'm sitting here living proof."
Luke Alfred Davies