Luis Castillo (American football)

Infobox NFLactive
name=Luis Castillo

---

caption=Luis Castillo at the Manas Air Base recreation center in Kyrgyzstan.
currentteam=San Diego Chargers
currentnumber=93
currentposition=Defensive end
birthdate=birth date and age|1983|8|4
birthplace=Brooklyn, New York
heightft=6
heightin=3
weight=290
debutyear=2005
debutteam=San Diego Chargers
college=Northwestern
draftyear=2005
draftround=1
draftpick=28
pastteams=
* San Diego Chargers (2005-current)
nfl=CAS761362

Luis Alberto Castillo (born August 4, 1983 in Brooklyn, New York) [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/hispanicheritage2007/news/story?id=3042032 ESPN - 10 minutes with Chargers defensive end Luis Castillo ] ] , is an Dominican American football defensive end for the San Diego Chargers of the NFL. He was the cover athlete for the Spanish language version of "Madden NFL 08". [ [http://www.gamespot.com/news/6181102.html?action=convert&om_clk=latestnews&tag=latestnews;title;1 Madden goes multilingual - Xbox 360 News at GameSpot ] ]

Early years

Castillo attended Garfield High School (New Jersey), where he was team captain and team MVP of the football team. [ [http://www.nflplayers.com/players/player.aspx?id=37190 Luis Castillo player profile] , National Football League Players Association. Accessed July 24, 2007. "Hometown: Garfield, N.J....SuperPrep All-America at Garfield High School in Garfield, New Jersey…first-team all-state and all-county as junior and senior by Associated Press and Newark Star-Ledger…three-time first-team all-league choice…team captain and team MVP as senior…also lettered in track and wrestling as state’s top heavyweight"]

College career

Northwestern University and lived in Elder Hall for his freshman year. [http://cc.msnscache.com/cache.aspx?q=2725579675827&lang=en-CA&mkt=en-CA&FORM=CVRE7] He was a 2004 Pro Football Weekly All-American selection.

NFL career

2005 NFL Draft

Castillo was selected with the 28th overall pick in the 1st round of the 2005 NFL Draft

("* represents NFL Combine")

Positive drug test

Castillo made headlines at the 2005 NFL Combine when he sent a letter to all 32 NFL teams admitting to using androstenedione, a steroid hormone which increased the amount of testosterone his body produced, promoting muscle growth and healing in an effort to quicken the rehab process of a slow-healing injury so he could perform in all the drills at the 2005 NFL Combine. He claimed he used the steroids in an attempt to fully recover from an elbow injury suffered in the very first game of his senior year at Northwestern. Castillo hyper-extended his elbow, damaging the ulnar collateral ligament, basically preventing him from using one of his arms. Being the team captain, he felt an obligation to fight through the pain and finish the year.

In an interview with Peter King, Castillo said:"So I got shot up before games and just endured the pain. There were a lot of tough moments. The pain was unbelievable. I had the option of taking a medical redshirt after our third game. I could have come back for a fifth year if I stopped playing then. I could have had surgery, and either come back next year and play again, or maybe make it back in time to work out and get ready for the NFL Draft. But I decided to keep playing. I basically played with one arm. My get-off ability was down. I was falling a lot. I wasn't anywhere near the player I could have been, but I played. At the end of the year, I expected I would have surgery and then come back in six or eight months, but then I saw the Bears' team doctor, and he told me that a lot of football players come back from this injury without having the surgery. So I just started rehabbing and thought I'd be ready for the Combine."

After the urine test came back positive, he and his agent wrote the letters to all the teams admitting use of an illegal substance. Despite this, AJ Smith took a chance on Castillo because of his stellar track record at Northwestern. When asked about Castillo's steroid use, AJ responded, "Let me tell you -- this is a great kid. Did he cheat to try to get ready for the Combine? All of that is true. He has admitted it. He cheated to cut a corner because he was fearful. But I don't believe he gained an advantage [over what he would have been had he not been hurt] . If we wouldn't have picked him, someone else would have -- because he's proven what a good kid he is and this was a one-time mistake." [ [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/peter_king/04/25/mmqb.draft/index.html SI.com - Writers - KING: Monday Morning Quarterback - Monday April 25, 2005 11:33AM ] ]

an Diego Chargers

Castillo has emerged as a playmaker alongside Jamal Williams and Igor Olshansky creating havoc in opposing backfields. In the 2006 opening game at the Oakland Raiders ESPN commentator Dick Vermeil called Castillo one of the best young defensive linemen he's seen in a long time.

Castillo was a second alternate to the 2006 Pro Bowl.

On November 6, 2007, it was announced that Castillo would miss at least 6 weeks after having surgery on one of his knees.

Luis is only the second Dominican player to be drafted and start in the National Football League. Stalin Colinet, who was drafted by Minnesota in the third round in 1997, was the first. [ [http://www.sandiegochargers.com Chargers.com - Official Web Site of the San Diego Chargers ] ]

In 2008, Luis Castillo following a tackle of Vince Young, performed a salsa dance for the crowd. [http://youtube.com/watch?v=FgfPjyVoF7I] [http://losestadoslatinos.com/2008/01/04/luis-castillo-back-with-a-vengeance-and-a-new-salsa-sack-dance/]

References

External links

* [http://LuisCastillo.com Luis Castillo Official Website]
* [http://databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=CASTILUI01 Current Stats]