ESPN Analyst Recommends NFL Players Take Viagra Before Cold Games
ESPN analyst Bart Scott aroused a lot of attention on Thursday when he suggested NFL players in cold climates might want to pop Viagra before games.
The temperature for Saturday’s playoff game between the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots is predicted to be a chilly 7 degrees, according to Mediaite. That could present a problem for Bills quarterback Josh Allen, since his stats for playing in cold weather aren’t exactly hot, according to NBC Sports.
Scott, a former NFL linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets, suggested on the sports network that taking the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra before the game might help Allen.
“That’ll get that circulation going right,” Scott said.
Apparently, he was serious and not trying to give his fellow analysts a hard time.
“Viagra was first a heart medicine, right?” Scott continued. “So, it builds up circulation, which makes sure it gets circulation to the feet.”
He added: “I swear, I’m not trying to be funny.”
Scott’s idea may not be as outlandish as it sounds. A 2006 Harvard Medical School studyfound that Viagra might help treat cold hands and feet for people suffering from Raynaud’s syndrome, according to NESN.com.
A spokesperson for Viatris, the current maker of Viagra, warns against taking the pill for anything other than its intended purpose.
“Viagra or Revatio, both of which contain sildenafil as an active ingredient, should only be used in the approved indications and always under the supervision of a physician,” the spokesperson told HuffPost.
Viagra’s label, approved by the Food and Drug Administration, says the drug is intended to treat erectile dysfunction. Doctors are free to prescribe it for any reason.
You can see the ESPN exchange below.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
