For New York Giants players who are overweight during the season, those extra pounds could cost them dearly.
Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara told TMZ that the team has a "fat fine" for players who have put on extra pounds.
"Everyone has to meet a certain weight requirement," Amukamara said. "And if you are overweight you get fined like $500 a pound."
Amukamara's account was essentially confirmed by former Giants quarterback Jared Lorenzen, sometimes known as the "Hefty Lefty" because of his large frame. Lorenzen told USA Today earlier this year that while he was on the Giants, the fine was $450 per pound for each day a player didn't make weight. There were regular weigh-ins every Friday.
Lorenzen, who stands 6-foot-4, said his goal weight was between 288 and 292. To get there he sometimes had to go to extreme lengths.
"Friday mornings were always long for me because I'd get in the sauna and sweat it out," said Lorenzen, who now tips the scales at 320 pounds. "The most I had to lose was five pounds in four hours, and that was hell. I'd come in and have tight, long spandex, sweatpants and another pair of sweatpants. Then I'd wear an undershirt, a T-shirt, a long-sleeved shirt, a loose long-sleeved shirt, a sweatshirt and then a hoodie, and then go in the sauna."
Even for a pro athlete, that fine could be significant. Take New York's Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who reportedly was overweight in 2012. While Pierre-Paul's weight was never revealed, coach Tom Coughlin said it took him the majority of the season to get to his ideal weight of 275 pounds.
For the sake of example, say Pierre-Paul was 15 pounds overweight for most of the season. If he spent two months (eight Fridays) at that weight and was fined $500 per pound per day, that could amount to a $60,000 punishment. Pierre-Paul had a base salary of $825,000 in 2012.
