LAKEWOOD – Former NFL quarterback Ray Lucas tackled many of his opponents during his time on the field but it was his strength in tackling his opioid addiction that was perhaps the most grueling.
Lucas recently shared his story of recovery with some Lakewood High School student athletes which served to kick off the Knock Out Opioid Abuse initiative which was sponsored by the Partnership for a Drug-Free (PDFNJ) and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.
The program is in collaboration with the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) and the virtual event held on February 15, was the first in a series of 10 to be held for high schools throughout New Jersey in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years.
Lucas headlined the event and discussed his story of addiction and recovery with the students. sharing stories from his playing career at Rutgers and in the NFL. He provided details about how he developed an addiction to opioids, and urged students to stay educated and informed about the risks of prescription opioids.
The athlete explained to them that “opioids effect everyone and does not care about race, religion or backgrounds. Your mouth is your most important weapon. You should ask for help if you need it and make sure to ask the questions about what you’re being prescribed and if there are alternatives.”
The mission of this virtual conversation was to educate student athletes on the risks of prescription opioids, as well as the importance of taking care of themselves physically and mentally.
According to a Monitoring the Future survey, adolescent participants in high-injury sports had 50 percent higher odds of nonmedical use of prescription opioids than adolescents who did not participate in these types of sports.
Lucas, a Harrison native, played for Rutgers University in the 1990s before enjoying a seven-year career in the NFL. He played for three teams, the New England Patriots, New York Jets, and Miami Dolphins from 1996 to 2002. Currently, Lucas works as a studio analyst for the show Jets Nation on SportsNet New York.
Football took its toll on Lucas, who sustained numerous injuries and underwent more than a dozen surgeries during and after his playing career. The quarterback became dependent on prescription opioids, at times taking more than 1,400 pills a month.
Lucas has been receptive to sharing his addiction and recovery in an effort to help others who have struggled with the same problems he has and to prevent youth athletes from going down the path to addiction.
PDFNJ, Executive Director Angelo Valente said, “as New Jersey’s opioid epidemic continues to plague the state, it is vital to reach student athletes and educate them about the dangers of prescription opioids.”
“We all need to be part of the solution, and are grateful to Ray Lucas for sharing his story with the Lakewood students and to Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association for making these events possible,” Valente added.
In Ocean County, from January through November 2021, there have been 809 naloxone administrations to reverse opioid overdoses and 228 suspected overdose deaths.
Two years ago, more than 3,000 people in the state died of drug overdoses, most of which involved some form of opioid. Preliminary data shows that New Jersey was on pace to end 2021 with more than 3,200 overdose deaths, which would be the most since the state started keeping records a decade ago.
