Justin Strzelczyk Justin Conrad Strzelczyk ( August 18 , 1968 – September 30 , 2004 ) was an American football offensive lineman who played nine seasons in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1990 to 1998 and helped the team gain a Super Bowl berth . His death at age 36 helped spark a debate in the NFL about the link between playing football and suffering concussion s that result in brain damage . Early life . Justin was born and grew up in West Seneca , New York . His father was Connie " Big Bird " Strzelczyk was a 6 - foot - 4 basketball standout played at Montana State University , from 1958 to 1960 . He later returned to Buffalo where he became a school teacher and a painting contractor in the summer breaks . His father and mother , Mary Joyce , separated when Justin was 7 . Mary Joyce later called Justin ' s father a " tremendous influence " in sports . Growing up Strzelczyk played hockey , football and basketball . He also was a baseball pitcher until shoulder pain prevented him from throwing anymore . He attended West Seneca West Senior High School and was a local basketball star . As a forward , Justin averaged 21 points a game as a junior and 22 as a senior , earning all - Western New York honors . Despite his love for football , Justin was to set on playing basketball in college . However Justin ' s dad , who had played college basketball only to end up teaching , convinced him that he had a better future in football . College . Strzelczyk went on to play football at the University of Maine . The school won two Yankee Conference titles , during Justin ' s time on the team . Teammates stated that he hated steroids and made his weight through eating and weight - lifting . He was given the nickname " Jughead " , after the Archie comics character . In January 1990 , he played in the East - West Shrine Game held in California . There he impressed then - Steelers coach , Chuck Noll , who drafted Justin in the 11th round of the 1990 NFL Draft . Pittsburgh Steelers . He made the Pittsburgh Steelers roster after the team ' s 1990 training camp and moved to Plum . Strzelczyk played on the Steelers special teams during his first two seasons . However when right tackle Tunch Ilkin was injured and missed four games in 1992 , Justin leaped into starting duty . He then started 75 of the 133 games he played and , more amazingly , started at every line position , except center . During games , he would pick up the red phone on the Steelers ' sideline and scream at the team ' s offensive coordinator , from Ron Erhardt to Chan Gailey to Ray Sherman : " Run the damn ball ! " He played a key role in getting the Steelers to Super Bowl XXX . In May 1998 Strzelczyk ' s father died after being paralyzed in a drunk - driving accident . Five months later , during a Monday Night Football game , against the Kansas City Chiefs , Justin suffered a quadriceps tear , that required season - ending surgery two days later . He then injured his knee again in a bar fight in March 1999 , which required further surgery , ending his next season as well . The Steelers placed him on injured reserve and paid him $ 187 , 000 , a fraction of the $ 1 . 5 million he was scheduled to earn . Then , he tore his biceps in a January 24 , 2000 , celebrity hockey game . The string of injuries prompted the Steelers to waive Strzelczyk . Music video . Strzelczyk appeared in the 1997 Adam Sandler music video , " The Lonesome Kicker " . There , Strzelczyk plays himself as he steals the kicker ' s " snow shoe " and taunts him throughout the video along with fellow Steeler teammates Jerome Bettis , Greg Lloyd , and Kordell Stewart . Lifestyle . Justin took up riding Harley - Davidson motorcycles , after signing with the Steelers . When he purchased his first bike at a bike - purchase celebration with teammates Ariel Solomon and Jerry Olsavsky in Oakland ' s , Justin rammed into a couple of parked cars , denting only the fuel tank and his bike . He also took up the guitar and banjo , watching videos , reading books , cribbage and day - trading as well . In early - 1993 , he married his wife Keana , and the couple had two children , before a divorce in 2001 . Justin was known to be a heavy drinker , like his father Connie . After being waived by the Steelers , Justin hunted for ways to fill the time . He began cooking buffalo wings and barbecue sauces . He also rode his motorcycle to the motorcycle rally in Sturgis , South Dakota . He skied , played music , acted in two plays , and he wrote a book titled " Balance " , his theory about evening out life ' s enjoyments and stresses . He even once wrote a check for $ 17 , 000 to fund a daycare . He also invested in several businesses that failed , losing hundreds of thousands of dollars , although the monetary losses did not cripple his finances . Strzelczyk had several issues with the police after his career ended . In November 2000 , Justin was arrested and charged with carrying a firearm without a permit . The handgun belonged to a friend of his , with whom he had gotten into a discussion over gun control and briefly brandished the weapon . He was acquitted eight - and - a - half months later . In early 2003 , he was cited for DUI and his driver ' s license was suspended for one year . The sentence was later reduced to two months . In late - 2003 , Justin suddenly swore off alcohol and all drugs , even prescription medication . Death . The night before he died , he called up old friends to make peace . These friends later stated that Justin ranted about the " devil " , " doctors who controlled people with anti - depressants " , and " evil people in Pittsburgh " . Justin ' s ex - wife and others maintain that he never sought medical help , however some friends stated that Justin consulted health professionals about what he perceived as his own bipolar disorder . This was a stressful time for Justin , he was still struggling with his divorce , his ex - wife was engaged to remarry , his football career was over , he was struggling with sobriety , and he had just opened a new business . He had also purchased new family headstone a few months earlier . Justin was supposed to arrive in Orchard Park , New York , for a fund - raiser that weekend . He packed only $ 2 , 600 - plus in cash and some crucifixes . His cell phone was left at his home . He died in a car crash in Herkimer , New York , when he hit a tank truck while driving against the flow of traffic to evade capture by the police . He was 36 years old . Concussion theory . It was initially thought that Strzelczyk was under the influence of alcohol or drugs due to his irrational behavior , but that was disproved by toxicity tests . A postmortem autopsy revealed that he had suffered from brain damage , possibly due to his years of playing football . This incident helped start a debate about the seriousness of concussions at the National Football League Summit , in June 2007 . There , Bennet Omalu , a Pittsburgh neuropathologist , linked the deaths of Strzelczyk and three other retired NFL players to brain damage from football . Those cases involved former Philadelphia Eagles safety Andre Waters and former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive linemen Mike Webster and Terry Long . Waters and Long committed suicide ; Webster died of a heart attack , but suffered from severe mental problems in his later life . Omalu says each death followed a similar line : football concussions , leading to brain damage similar to dementia pugilistica ( also known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy ) in boxers , leading to clinical depression . It was previously thought to only exist in boxers and steeplechase jockeys . In 2007 , Justin ' s mother , Mary Strzelczyk , gave Omalu permission to examine Justin ' s brain . Post - death . On October 16 , 2009 , West Seneca High School retired Justin Strzelczyk ' s football jersey # 46 . Strzelczyk was a member of the high school ' s graduating class of 1986 .