The good news: It's the first Sunday of the NFL season! The bad news: This is making it very tough for your correspondent to continue supplying you with music-based news throughout the day. But, there's more good news—or bad news, depending on who you are—:Several NFL players have indeed released music albums during their lifetime. Are any of them good? No. Do any of them explain why the Dallas Cowboys are frequently voted the most hated team in the NFL? Yes, many*.
Enjoy the humor in the idea but don't listen, even if we give you the option to.
01) Prime Time by Deion Sanders (1994)
Because duh? The '90s packed flashy athletes at a level that Johnny Manziel could never match (please don't release an album Mr. Manziel). Among these was Deion "Prime Time" Sanders, a player who was among the fastest in the NFL and also starred as a professional baseball player in his spare time. His NBA counterpart at the time, Shaquille O'Neal, released a hip-hop album in 1993 and therefore Sanders did the same in 1994. As much as it pains us to say, O'Neal is actually a better rapper than Sanders. Yeah...really.
02) Posterboyz ft. Adam "Pacman" Jones (2008)
Now if you wanted to release an actual modern hip-hop album with an NFL player at the fore, without it seeming like total schlock, Adam "Pacman" Jones would be your man. Despite his Pro Bowl appearances, the cornerback is better known for his strip club antics, which involved gunfire and "making it rain." This, however, does not make him a good rapper even if he's living the lifestyle. His Posterboyz group only released one song and we hope it stays that way.
03) Everybody Wants to Be A Cowboy by the Super Boys (1995)
Let's get back to that "everybody hates the Cowboys" thing. This was especially true during the '90s when they were the league's best team and its star cornerback was releasing hip-hop albums. But how about the team's much (much, much) whiter players? Future Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, fullback Walt Garrison, tight end Jay Novacek and special teams coach Joe Avezzano came together as a country group known as The Super Boys. Just one look at that album title probably ensured every linebacker wanted a piece of Aikman's face the next season.
04) Heavier Than Metal by Free Reign (2009)
This is the closest you'll get to quality music on this list. Aiming to make up for the collection of crap turned out by the '90s Cowboys, Dallas offensive linemen Mike Colombo, Leonard Davis and Cory Proctor founded heavy metal band Free Reign. The album title is a reference to the more than 900 pounds of weight between those three members. What's impressive is actual metal headliners—such as Zakk Wylde and Judas Priest's Ron Halford—are totally into these guys.
05) Terry Bradshaw: Sings Christmas Songs for The Whole World by Terry Bradshaw (1996)
Now flashing back to theme of quarterbacks doing ridiculous things: Terry Bradshaw was somewhat the Deion Sanders of his day during the '70s, so when he saw the Pro Bowler releasing an absurd album, the former Steelers quarterback had to get in on the action. There's no better way to break into the music industry than by doing Christmas standards: No songwriting required! This album is good...if you appreciate standards by performers such as William Shatner for humor purposes, then by all means give it a shot.
06) Death, Drugs & The Double Cross by Kyle Turley (2011)
Kyle Turley has, if anything, had a more successful career in music than as an NFL player. Maybe not in terms of earnings but let's be honest: The only thing you remember him for in football was that scuffle where he pulled off a Jets player's helmet and tossed it. That sort of attitude made it into his music...as the album art for Death, Drugs & The Double Cross might indicate. It features Turley shirtless, with a bloody American flag hanging in the background. In his defense, Turley has given much of his earnings from the project to the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, for former NFL players struggling due to past injuries.
