Hollywood Henderson Was High On Cocaine During Games---Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson (born March 1, 1953) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League from 1975 through 1980.
Henderson was drafted in the first round of the 1975 NFL Draft, as part of the Dallas Cowboys Dirty Dozen draft. He made his mark on special teams during his first two years, becoming a starter at the strongside linebacker position in 1977 and by the end of the 1978 season he made his only Pro Bowl.
Lawrence Taylor, perhaps the greatest player ever at the position, said that he was inspired to wear 56 because it was Henderson’s number. Henderson gave himself the nickname "Hollywood" for his flamboyant play and high-visibility lifestyle.
"Hollywood" was such a good athlete that the Cowboys used him to run reverses on kickoffs, returning one for a touchdown. He was one of the first linebackers to run a 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash and 9.5 seconds in the 100-yard dash. He helped lead the Cowboys to three Super Bowls, including a win in Super Bowl XII.
Before Super Bowl XIII he started a war of words against the Pittsburgh Steelers, that ended up with him sharing a TIME magazine cover with quarterback Terry Bradshaw.
However, his destructive lifestyle of drugs and alcohol began to catch up with him. During many games, he snorted liquid cocaine from an inhaler he hid in his pants.[citation needed] The final straw came in 1979 against the Washington Redskins at RFK Stadium.
While his team was being soundly beaten 34–20 on national television, Henderson was mugging for the camera and displaying handkerchiefs with the Cowboys team logo. When interviewed about it, he blamed teammate Preston Pearson, saying that Pearson had asked him to show off the handkerchiefs, which Pearson was marketing, as a favor.
Coach Tom Landry was so angered by the episode that he deactivated Henderson for the remaining 4 games of the season and later waived him. "Landry had given me plenty of warning," Henderson admits.
Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Henderson_%28American_football%29
Henderson was drafted in the first round of the 1975 NFL Draft, as part of the Dallas Cowboys Dirty Dozen draft. He made his mark on special teams during his first two years, becoming a starter at the strongside linebacker position in 1977 and by the end of the 1978 season he made his only Pro Bowl.
Lawrence Taylor, perhaps the greatest player ever at the position, said that he was inspired to wear 56 because it was Henderson’s number. Henderson gave himself the nickname "Hollywood" for his flamboyant play and high-visibility lifestyle.
"Hollywood" was such a good athlete that the Cowboys used him to run reverses on kickoffs, returning one for a touchdown. He was one of the first linebackers to run a 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash and 9.5 seconds in the 100-yard dash. He helped lead the Cowboys to three Super Bowls, including a win in Super Bowl XII.
Before Super Bowl XIII he started a war of words against the Pittsburgh Steelers, that ended up with him sharing a TIME magazine cover with quarterback Terry Bradshaw.
However, his destructive lifestyle of drugs and alcohol began to catch up with him. During many games, he snorted liquid cocaine from an inhaler he hid in his pants.[citation needed] The final straw came in 1979 against the Washington Redskins at RFK Stadium.
While his team was being soundly beaten 34–20 on national television, Henderson was mugging for the camera and displaying handkerchiefs with the Cowboys team logo. When interviewed about it, he blamed teammate Preston Pearson, saying that Pearson had asked him to show off the handkerchiefs, which Pearson was marketing, as a favor.
Coach Tom Landry was so angered by the episode that he deactivated Henderson for the remaining 4 games of the season and later waived him. "Landry had given me plenty of warning," Henderson admits.
Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Henderson_%28American_football%29
