Summary: When Ohio State football star Cris Carter left college to join the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles in 1987, future success seemed all but guaranteed. With a rare combination of size, athleticism, and skilled hands, Carter possessed the perfect package to play the wide receiver position at a high level, and no one was surprised when he soon emerged as one of the Eagles’ more reliable playmakers. But unbeknownst to the public, things were far from rosy behind the scenes. The underground illegal drug culture in professional sports was vast and out of control in the 1980s, and, like many players during that era, Carter got caught up in that milieu and saw things quickly spiral out of control. Carter was drinking heavily and using cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy on a regular basis at that time, and he failed three drug tests over a three-year period before his coach, Buddy Ryan, finally gave up on him and released him in the summer of 1990.http://www.elementsbehavioralhealth.com/culture-media/cris-carter-from-addiction-to-superstardom-in-the-nfl/
