Why did Cardinals coach Bruce Arians drink paint as a kid?
Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians has firmly established himself as one of the NFL’s more colorful characters, especially among non-players.
On Tuesday, Arians revealed the full scope of his 2016 health issues, which previously we knew to include diverticulitis and chest pains: he dealt with kidney cancer.
But on Wednesday, Arians revealed something…odd.
Chatting with SiriusXM NFL radio, the 64-year-old said that as a kid, he believed drinking paint made him harder to tackle in the neighborhood football games.
If you, like us, are a bit confused on first reading of this, let’s say it again: he drank paint. As a child. Because he believed it made him tougher to bring down when he played neighborhood football games.
Not surprisingly, Arians needed to have his stomach pumped twice because of his paint-drinking proclivity.
Look, it’s easy to find an athlete who had one or two weird superstitions, a routine they strictly adhered to, a favorite pre-game meal, or a belief that putting on their left sock first every time would influence their performance.
But guzzling paint? Arians has to be on his own on this one.