Luis Castillo ( American football ) Luis Alberto Castillo ( born August 4 , 1983 ) , is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent . He was drafted by the Chargers in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft . He played college football at Northwestern . Castillo was the cover athlete for the Spanish language version of " Madden NFL 08 " . Early years . Raised in Garfield , New Jersey , Castillo attended Garfield High School , where he was team captain and team MVP of the football team , under coach Steven Mucha . College career . He attended Northwestern University , where he lived in Elder Hall for his freshman year . He was a 2004 Pro Football Weekly All - American selection , a Second - team All - Big Ten , Academic All - America by ESPN and Second - team Academic All - Big Ten . In 2003 he was a First - team Academic All - District and Academic All - Big Ten . Again , a Second - team Academic All - District by CoSIDA and Academic All - Big Ten in 2002 . Castillo finished career with 251 tackles , 4 . 5 sacks , and 19 . 5 tackles for loss . NFL career . 2005 NFL Draft . Castillo was selected with the 28th overall pick in the 1st round of the 2005 NFL Draft . Positive drug test . Castillo made headlines at the 2005 NFL Combine when he sent a letter to all 32 NFL teams admitting to using androstenedione , a steroid hormone which increased the amount of testosterone his body produced , promoting muscle growth and healing in an effort to quicken the rehab process of a slow - healing injury so he could perform in all the drills at the 2005 NFL Combine . He claimed he used the steroids in an attempt to fully recover from an elbow injury suffered in the very first game of his senior year at Northwestern . Castillo hyper - extended his elbow , damaging the ulnar collateral ligament , basically preventing him from using one of his arms . Being the team captain , he felt an obligation to fight through the pain and finish the year . In an interview with Peter King , Castillo said : " " So I got shot up before games and just endured the pain , [ " ] Castillo told me . " There were a lot of tough moments . The pain was unbelievable . I had the option of taking a medical redshirt after our third game . I could have come back for a fifth year if I stopped playing then . I could have had surgery , and either come back next year and play again , or maybe make it back in time to work out and get ready for the NFL Draft . But I decided to keep playing . I basically played with one arm . My get - off ability was down . I was falling a lot . I wasn ' t anywhere near the player I could have been , but I played . At the end of the year , I expected I would have surgery and then come back in six or eight months , but then I saw the Bears ' team doctor , and he told me that a lot of football players come back from this injury without having the surgery . So I just started rehabbing and thought I ' d be ready for the Combine . " " After the urine test came back positive , he and his agent wrote the letters to all the teams admitting use of an illegal substance . Despite this , San Diego Chargers Executive Vice President and General Manager A . J . Smith took a chance on Castillo because of his stellar track record at Northwestern . When asked about Castillo ' s steroid use , AJ responded , " Let me tell you - - this is a great kid . Did he cheat to try to get ready for the Combine ? All of that is true . He has admitted it . He cheated to cut a corner because he was fearful . But I don ' t believe he gained an advantage [ over what he would have been had he not been hurt ] . If we wouldn ' t have picked him , someone else would have - - because he ' s proven what a good kid he is and this was a one - time mistake . " " San Diego Chargers . Luis Castillo is only the fourth player of Dominican heritage to be drafted and start in the NFL . In 2005 Castillo was named an All - Rookie Team selection by NFL . com , Pro Football Weekly / Professional Football Writers of America . Castillo has emerged as a play maker alongside Jamal Williams and Igor Olshansky , creating havoc in opposing backfields . He ended his rookie season with 49 tackles , 3½ sacks , and 3 pass deflections . In the 2006 opening game at the Oakland Raiders ESPN commentator Dick Vermeil called Castillo one of the best young defensive linemen he ' s seen in a long time . Castillo was a second alternate to the 2006 Pro Bowl . His season totals included playing in 10 games ( 9 starts ) 37 tackles , 7 sacks , and an interception , On November 6 , 2007 , it was announced that Castillo would miss at least 6 weeks after having surgery on one of his knees . For the 2007 season he again played in 10 games and started nine . He totaled 33 tackles , 2½ sacks and one deflected pass . In 2008 , following a tackle of Vince Young , Castillo performed a salsa dance for the crowd . His statistics for 2008 were 16 games played , 15 starts , 39 tackles , 1½ sacks , a pass defensed and an interception ( the second of his career ) . During Week 1 of the 2011 season , Castillo suffered a broken leg and was put on the injured reserve list . Castillo was released by the San Diego Chargers on July 19 , 2012 .