As a player, Spurrier says he stayed away from injections

Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus got a $600,000 lawsuit settlement from the Chicago Bears after claiming cortisone shots ravaged his body. Pete Gent's "North Dallas Forty" novel is a wild, behind-the-scenes look at the NFL of the early 1970s and is inspired by Gent's days as a Dallas Cowboys wide receiver.

Butkus and Gent were NFL contemporaries of South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, a former quarterback who spent 10 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But Spurrier said he never received a painkiller injection as a player.

"I never had any need for one," Spurrier said. 'I'm sure some of the guys probably did back in those days. I tried to stay away from those needles."

- Gene Sapakoff

This story was originally published October 6, 2009 at 12:00 AM with the headline "As a player, Spurrier says he stayed away from injections."