Late NFL vet Brad William Henke went from injury-riddled football career to Hollywood

Brad William Henke never let his injury-riddled football career keep him from finding success as an entertainer. 

The former Denver Broncos pass rusher played one season in the NFL before bouncing around smaller leagues. He then used his background as a professional athlete to break into Hollywood.

Henke died in his sleep on Tuesday at the age of 56, per The Hollywood Reporter.  

Henke credited a conversation with former Raiders linebacker Rod Martin for helping spark his acting career. 

"Rod mentioned there was a need for actors to play football players for commercials, so I tried out for it and got one for Pizza Hut,” Henke told the Tucson Citizen. ”While I was there, a guy invited me to attend an acting class. I went and it hit me that this is what I wanted to do.”

Henke's lone NFL season came with the 1989 Broncos, led by the late Dan Reeves. Denver won the AFC Championship but lost to the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIV. Henke played in two games during that season. 

However, injuries derailed his playing days. He had six ankle surgeries before calling it quits. 

Henke found his ultimate calling as an actor. He appeared in film and television projects starting in 1996. 

"I’m fortunate I’ve found something I love to do a million times more than playing football,” Henke told the Tucson Citizen in 1998 about acting. 

Henke's most notable credits include his Screen Actors Guild-winning turn as prison guard Desi Piscatella on "Orange Is the New Black," gruff criminal Coover Bennett on "Justified," flight passenger Bram on "Lost" and co-lead Hank Ungalow on the short-lived aughts Showtime series "Going to California."

Henke appeared in movies "Draft Day," "Space Jam," "North Country," "Sherrybaby," "Choke," "Pacific Rim" and "Fury." He also made appearances on TV shows "The Office," "ER" and "Shameless," and 2020's latest adaptation of Stephen King's "The Stand."

Henke's final screen credit will be upcoming action film "The Ray," starring Mark Dacascos.