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You're Okay, It's Just a Bruise: A Doctor's Sideline Secrets About Pro Football's Most Outrageous Team
The dramatic, hilarious, and controversial insider's look at what really happens on the sidelines and in the locker rooms of the NFL. Hired by the Los Angeles Raiders in 1983 as the team internist, Rob Huizenga worked on the sidelines and in the locker room of every game. That first year was the epitome of Raiders football-- the silver-and-black team of renegades steamrolled opponents and defeated the Washington Redskins in the Super Bowl. For nearly ten years, Huizenga lived in the real NFL trenches, a battlefield atmosphere where getting hurt and partying hard was the name of the game. Jam-packed with close-up anecdotes about football's warriors, this book * The mind games and methods of mysterious Raiders owner Al Davis
* The truth about drug and steroid use in the NFL
* The pressure on players to perform even when threatened by serious injury
* Harrowing and hilarious true stories about the side of football fans never see
* The wild life and tragic death of Lyle Alzado
* The truth about drug and steroid use in the NFL
* The pressure on players to perform even when threatened by serious injury
* Harrowing and hilarious true stories about the side of football fans never see
* The wild life and tragic death of Lyle Alzado
326 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 7, 2016
Though fun to read the inside stories of old players and what takes place behind the scenes, this book was almost depressing. It is written from the perspective of a team doctor for the Oakland/ Los Angeles Raiders and deals with a lot of medical subjects, but it also covers a huge amount of info concerning the NFL as a whole.
This was almost worse than reading about politics. But should I be surprised? After all, the teams are owned by a bunch of billionaires, and isn't that who also owns the politicians?
Aside from the revelations about the ugly underbelly of the league this was still a fun book to read. There are some great personal stories concerning different players, coaches, and personnel that made this not only informative, but entertaining as well.
One individual mentioned throughout the book is the now deceased owner of the Raiders, Al Davis. I've been a Raider fan my whole life and my memories of watching the team, go all the way back to the John Maddon and Kenny Stabler days. So as a fan, there were times I idolized Davis and there were times I was frustrated with him. And now this book has also given me dual feelings about the man. While reading, there were moments when I thought the guy was a complete asshole, and there were times when I thought he was actually just a good-hearted person buried under a rough exterior. There were times when I thought he must have been an idiot and times I thought he was a genius. I guess the best conclusion to make is that he was just human, like me. The only difference is, when you have a billion dollars in your back pocket, no one is going to argue with you on those moments when you are being an asshole.
December 17, 2017
Anyone interested in American football and wants to pull back the curtain, this a great book. Anyone interested in the LA Raiders/Traitors 80’s era this is a must read. I loved it even though a lapsed 70’s Raider fan but from Oakland: great insights into well known characters especially Davis and Alzado. It shows a light on football as corporate entertainment and the final chapters are poignant.
November 25, 2025
What a crazy world exists inside an NFL locker room and the doctors that keep these guys playing. Exposes some of the lengths players will go through to keep playing. Of course the Raiders under Al Davis always did things on the fringe of the rules anyway.
December 29, 2019
Really eye-opening and probably one of the first looks at the harm of head injuries on athletes and their post-sport future.
August 17, 2024
Took me about 2 months to finish
October 1, 2011
I'm a fan of both football and medical books, so this one, a team doctor's account of his time with the Raiders was particularly appealing. Granted. the Raiders aren't my team of choice, and many of the players mentioned like Howie Long and John Elway are long-retired from the sport, but I doubt much of what Huizenga decribes has changed much. Al Davis is well-known as the Raiders' owner, usually in a negative sense for his business practices, a sentiment echoed in the book. However, by the end of the book, it was actually Dr. Rosenfeld, the team orthopedic doctor, who I viewed as the bigger 'meanie'.
This book spans Huizenga's entire, somewhat tumultuous career, as head doctor for the Raiders, treating every player ailment not requiring the services of Rosenfeld, a close personal friend of Davis' and long veteran of the staff. Huizenga highlights speciic players such as Lyle Alzado, who was a heavy steroid user long before the negative effects of them were known; Marcus Allen, a future Hall of Famer who often played with serious injuries to avoid Davis' wrath; and the Raiders' multiple quarterbacks, who battled rough injuries themselves, from separated shoulders to knocked out teeth. Huizenga also observes non-medical aspects of the Raiders team, from their post-game partying, to Rosenfeld's swinger status, to the intricacies of the NFL draft. Huizenga's role was especially important in evaulating draft candidates, as the young athletes just out of college would all proclaim to be perfectly healthy in order to realize their NFL dream and it was up to team doctors to find out what they were hiding.
Being an outsider to Davis' 'Old Boys Network', Huizenga's treatment and diagnosis of players' conditions often conflicted with Rosenfeld's, as the latter was more focused on keeping Davis happy by making sure the players were earning their checks than the actual health and condition of those players. Also, Huizenga's tenure spanned the early days of steroid reform in the NFL and his anti-steroid stance also separated him from the majority opinion, even after Alzado admits that the health issues he faced later in life were a direct conquence of the steriod use. Eventually, it is the overall difference of opinion between Huizenga and Davis that leads to the former's departure from the team.
I felt this was an interesting look at a world hidden from the casual sports fan. Even though Huizenga's experiences occurred 20+ years ago, I imagine many of the same issues discussed in the book remain a concern league-wide. Even with tighter drug policys, there are surely those who try to skirt them, and certainly the young athletes continue to present healthy in hopes of being drafted. A pretty good balance between football and medicine, I'd be interested to know what it is like to be a team doctor nowadays.
This book spans Huizenga's entire, somewhat tumultuous career, as head doctor for the Raiders, treating every player ailment not requiring the services of Rosenfeld, a close personal friend of Davis' and long veteran of the staff. Huizenga highlights speciic players such as Lyle Alzado, who was a heavy steroid user long before the negative effects of them were known; Marcus Allen, a future Hall of Famer who often played with serious injuries to avoid Davis' wrath; and the Raiders' multiple quarterbacks, who battled rough injuries themselves, from separated shoulders to knocked out teeth. Huizenga also observes non-medical aspects of the Raiders team, from their post-game partying, to Rosenfeld's swinger status, to the intricacies of the NFL draft. Huizenga's role was especially important in evaulating draft candidates, as the young athletes just out of college would all proclaim to be perfectly healthy in order to realize their NFL dream and it was up to team doctors to find out what they were hiding.
Being an outsider to Davis' 'Old Boys Network', Huizenga's treatment and diagnosis of players' conditions often conflicted with Rosenfeld's, as the latter was more focused on keeping Davis happy by making sure the players were earning their checks than the actual health and condition of those players. Also, Huizenga's tenure spanned the early days of steroid reform in the NFL and his anti-steroid stance also separated him from the majority opinion, even after Alzado admits that the health issues he faced later in life were a direct conquence of the steriod use. Eventually, it is the overall difference of opinion between Huizenga and Davis that leads to the former's departure from the team.
I felt this was an interesting look at a world hidden from the casual sports fan. Even though Huizenga's experiences occurred 20+ years ago, I imagine many of the same issues discussed in the book remain a concern league-wide. Even with tighter drug policys, there are surely those who try to skirt them, and certainly the young athletes continue to present healthy in hopes of being drafted. A pretty good balance between football and medicine, I'd be interested to know what it is like to be a team doctor nowadays.
May 25, 2015
While this wasn't exactly a "for fun" read, it turned out to be pretty good. A fun insider view into the NFL. Lots of good corroborating data for what I've already heard about in my interviews with retirees. I was shocked by how some things haven't changed at all in almost 30 years. All this hullaballoo about the "bounty system" and the Saints, well, it existed in the 80s and 90s and probably since the beginning of the sport.
He did have some suggestions, from his perspective as team doctor, about how to make it safer for players and I'd like to find out if those things in particular have changed. One thing he mentions is having a neutral board of doctors who are appointed to each team for a set term - sort of like a judge. That way doctors don't have to worry about getting fired if they hold out a star player and they aren't hand-picked by owners who have only money in mind, not player health and safety.
I also have to wonder how people reacted to the book when it came out - some pretty damning stuff in there, especially about Al Davis.
He did have some suggestions, from his perspective as team doctor, about how to make it safer for players and I'd like to find out if those things in particular have changed. One thing he mentions is having a neutral board of doctors who are appointed to each team for a set term - sort of like a judge. That way doctors don't have to worry about getting fired if they hold out a star player and they aren't hand-picked by owners who have only money in mind, not player health and safety.
I also have to wonder how people reacted to the book when it came out - some pretty damning stuff in there, especially about Al Davis.
July 4, 2015
Rob Huizenga's book allowed me to see what NFL team physicians dealt with in 80s. I think it is brilliant to know the sports medicine perspective in professional sports knowing that every medical decision pulls and pushes on every business decision. The true emotions of frustration emerge from these chapters and explore the controversies behind each medical case Huizenga approaches. Not only were there problems with the players, but the problems with highly respected figures are also revealed as the chapters went on. I found the book to be more riveting as it progressed. For anyone interested in sports medicine or questions the sports medicine teams of professional sports, this is a must-read for perspective!
October 7, 2009
Read this a few years back but seems timely with the recent news of three NFL players donating their brains to science for concussion research after their deaths.
Book centers on the various medical issues Huizenga faced as a Raiders team doctor and the numerous abuses of drugs, alcohol, and steroids. Oftentimes decisions were made that were not in the best interest of the player which disillusioned him into resigning.
Book centers on the various medical issues Huizenga faced as a Raiders team doctor and the numerous abuses of drugs, alcohol, and steroids. Oftentimes decisions were made that were not in the best interest of the player which disillusioned him into resigning.
March 16, 2011
An interesting read on a former Los Angeles Raiders doctor. The steroid stuff will not surprise you as time has kind of judged it. The doctor gives a neat look into the dysfunctional Raider Family headed by Al Davis. It's good (and tragic in some parts) but more often than not the doctor comes off as a little whiny and pretentious and it affected the way I read it. But still, if you're a football fan, read this book.
June 5, 2009
I am not a Raiders fan, but my father is...which is how I came upon this book. To be honest, I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed hearing about the injuries and how Huizenga dealt with them....also with his frustrations concerning the other team doctor (I started to hate the man myself).
August 22, 2012
Best book on football ever written
January 22, 2014
Hilarious! A must for all Fans of the Big Black Hole! "Just Win, Baby!"
November 13, 2008
Coming from one who knows and feels the pains, a truth well spoken/written.
December 17, 2009
Great read on old school football
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews