Jared Lorenzen, whose immense size — especially for a quarterback — earned him monikers like “The Hefty Lefty” and “The Pillsbury Throwboy” during his playing days in college with Kentucky and later during a brief NFL career, has now embarked on a very public weight-loss battle.
Lorenzen, 36, at 6-foot-4, is generously listed as 275 pounds on his Pro Football Reference bio, but last year Lorenzen ballooned up to 500 pounds. The realization that such a weight poses significant health risks inspired Lorenzen to become involved in a video diary project dubbed “The Jared Lorenzen Project.”
Lorenzen has posted two videos chronicling the onset of his journey on Facebook. What follows is the most recent entry, posted Monday.
In a Facebook post published late last week, Lorenzen had the following things to say:
“Right now, if I didn’t wake up tomorrow, it wouldn’t be a shock to many people,” Lorenzen said, as transcribed by the New York Post. “‘Well, yeah, you know, look how big he is? Damn.’”
The project came together under the guidance of filmmaker Anthony Holt, whom Lorenzen met at the premiere of Holt’s documentary on the fall of ex-NBA player Antoine Walker.
Lorenzen hopes his journey helps inspire others, especially children, dealing with obesity to do something to improve their health.
“We just want to make sure kids get involved,” Lorezen told Kentucky.com. “My [part] is going to be the educational side of it with the kids. Letting people know that, ‘Hey, you need to have healthy choices in food, you need to exercise, you need to do some of those things you hear about or you could become big like this. I fight my demons every day, so I’ve got to continue to work at it.”
Lorenzen’s NFL career began as an undrafted free agent picked up by the New York Giants in 2004. After being released by the Giants in 2008, Lorenzen was signed by the Indianapolis Colts but was among the final cuts of training camp. Lorenzen went on to star with several semi-pro football teams and last played in 2014 for the North Kentucky River Monsters.
More must-reads: