Unlike the glossy, self-promotional tell-all memoirs of former gridiron star players and coaches of the National Football League, this hard-hitting sports confessional by a current pro-baller, who has decided not to come out from the shadows, will stick in the craw of the NFL front office. Coming from a small town in Ohio, the author, speaking in bold terms about his desire to become "the Best Back-up of All Time," wants to remain a nameless player: not risking injury, doing just enough to remain on the payroll while standing on the sidelines. The anonymous player enjoys that status on his second team in three years, as a pitiful third-stringer, until the injury of a lineman puts him in as a starting center. He sees hobbled veteran linemen, the victims of the most physical abuse in football, feeling the fans don't think of the gladiators as humans, but "commodities, entertainment." Football fans will be stunned by his candor about the stiff resistance against gays in the league, the widespread use of painkillers, the racial slurs, the caste system of starters versus backups, the win-at-all cost team attitude, the illegal drugs, and the off-the-field criminal infractions. This wicked football expose, written by an active player who "hates" the sport, is a ticking time bomb. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

An inside perspective on professional football from an anonymous NFL rank and filer. "Johnny Anonymous" is the pen name of a current offensive lineman in the National Football League, which he hates. He hates the pseudo-militarist mindset, the overinflated sense of self-importance of almost everyone in the NFL, and the hypocrisy of the league's personal conduct policies. He hates the injuries and the damage the sport does to almost all who play it. He likes the money but recognizes how absurd it is that he earns what he doesnever mind the obscene amounts earned by star players. In this book, the author provides a look at a year in the life of a player in the country's most popular sport. His anonymity, which he tries to preserve by changing names and chronology, will likely draw a great deal of attention, and one suspects that savvy journalists and serious fans may be able to figure out who he is or at least draw the noose tighter. It frees him up to speak bluntly about the league without castigating specific individuals, but the anonymity may cut both ways: it makes verifying any of his assertions difficult, and it certainly diminishes the author's accountability. Nonetheless, most observers of the NFL and its occasional descents into folly will find that his account rings true. He writes in a chatty, oftentimes profane conversational style, and he comes across as something of a likable jerk. He states that his goal was to become the "Best NFL Backup Ever," but his plan almost failed when he had to step in as a starting centera position he, normally a guard, has never playedfor several games during the middle of the season. Nonetheless, before long, he was back to the second string. This readable book provides insight into the life of an NFL nonstar, though the author's anonymity proves to be a dual-edged sword. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.