September 14, 2014 (Harrison, NJ) Harrison's Ray Lucas has written a book entitled Under Pressure which chronicles his football career and the effect it had on him and his family. The book also discusses Lucas' battle with addiction to pain medication after what was believed to be an inoperable neck injury.



Lucas went from a local high school superstar in Harrison New Jersey to be a quarterback with the New York Jets. Lucas co-authored the book with David Seigerman. The book also has a foreword by former Giant coach Bill Parcells. The book is available on Amazon through this link and through local bookstores. The following is the description of the book on Amazon's website:

Under Pressure, Ray Lucas provides fans with a timely, uncensored look at pro football’s play-at-all-costs culture. Overcoming questions about his size and skills as a quarterback, Lucas persevered and went on to play seven seasons in the NFL. His professional football career, however, came to a sudden end at age 30, when a neck injury caused him to collapse on the sideline during training camp. Instructed by NFL doctors that surgery wasn’t an option, Lucas turned to painkillers for relief, but as his tolerance for medication escalated and his NFL insurance coverage expired, he began to plan his suicide. Just days before he planned to take his life, Lucas was put in touch with a group of doctors who agreed to perform neck surgery free of charge.

In this tell-all, Lucas shares how—in a league without guaranteed contracts and careers that average just a few seasons long—players in the training room are perceived to lack the toughness necessary to succeed on the field. He discusses how this prevailing attitude leads to widespread abuse of painkillers and leaves many former players unable to lead a normal life once their playing career ends while also sharing details on how he overcame his drug addiction and turned his own life around.