Thomas Henderson might have one of the craziest stories in the NFL, going from playing a Super Bowl high on cocaine to being jailed, and eventually turning his life around and raising $300,000 for his community. The former Cowboys LB was a part of the team that won Super Bowl 12 in 1978. Henderson had an up-and-down career, filled with the highs of the Super Bowl win and a Pro Bowl berth, but aside from that, there wasn’t much to write home about his career.
Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson’s career somehow started rather unspectacularly. He was drafted 18th overall by the Cowboys in the 1985 draft, but he was mainly featured on special teams. In his third year, Henderson got to show his talents on the defensive side of the ball. In the 1977-78 season, Henderson started all 14 games, and he was a major leader for the Cowboys’ defense, delivering massive hits and causing turnovers. That year Dallas would win the Super Bowl 27-10 against the Denver Broncos.
Thomas Henderson Developed an Addictive Lifestyle to be More Hollywood
Henderson wanted to rewrite the way his career would be remembered. He realized that the offensive players, namely the quarterbacks, received most of the media attention, and he wanted to turn that around.
So, developed his “Hollywood” lifestyle. “You can look at people like Deion Sanders now and others who understand that,” he said as per Sportscasting. “They could have called me Tom Henderson forever, but Hollywood Henderson is somebody you might want to talk to. So I started branding myself.”
Henderson started partying with big names including Richard Pryor and Marvin Gaye, and he quickly developed an addiction to drugs and alcohol. Despite this, Henderson would go on to have a Pro Bowl year in the 1978-79 season.
That year in 1979, Dallas returned to the Super Bowl, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-31. During that game, Henderson was high on cocaine. Henderson used to use liquified cocaine, from his inhaler, before games, and he carried the same to the big game.
“When I put cocaine mixed with water in a Vicks inhaler, it was to medicate my nose because it would give me a headache from hell,” Henderson explained as per Sportscasting. “So I started squeezing liquefied cocaine in my nose to numb it.”
PRETTY CRAZY: Former Dallas #Cowboys first-round selection and Pro Bowl linebacker Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson has lived one hell of a life, from winning the lottery twice to playing high in a Super Bowl.
Henderson played in Super Bowl XII high on liquified cocaine and won.… pic.twitter.com/In6o59Gtqq
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) August 6, 2023
Henderson’s addiction soon made his career very hard to continue. His production decreased, and he was soon out of the league. In 1983 he was arrested for assault, and that’s when it seemed like his life had spiraled out of control.
Henderson Found a Way to Give Back
Thomas Henderson had to make changes to his life, and he did just that. Years after his football career was over, Henderson started to dedicate his time to helping his local community, giving back to Austin, Texas, his hometown.
In 1990, Henderson helped restore the football field he used to play on, cleaned the area, and a lot more. He raised $300,000 in the process.
Further, in 2000, Henderson won the Texas lottery which fetched him $28 million which he used part of to create a charity. In one of the more unlikely turns of events, Henderson won another lottery in 2010, winning $50,000. Henderson completely turned his life around. He’s been drug and alcohol-free, is a community leader, and has worked hard to gain back what he lost.
About the author
Ashish Priyadarshi
Ashish Priyadarshi is The SportsRush's content manager and editor. Ashish freelanced for 1 year in the NFL division before taking on an editorial role in the company. He then tacked on managing content while adding on a writing role in the NBA division. Ashish has been closely following the NFL and NBA since the 2012 season when the Patriots lost the Super Bowl and Derrick Rose was at the height of his powers. Since then, Ashish has focused on honing his knowledge for both leagues in, even writing crossover pieces. In his free time, Ashish is an avid basketball player, he loves to watch movies and TV shows, immersing himself in the cinematic world. Ashish studies computer science and data science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and would love to mesh his love for sports with his technical skills.
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He pleaded no contest to the charges and entered a treatment center and remained there for seven months before his 28 months in prison. He states that "Hollywood" died on November 8, 1983, and he has remained clean and sober ever since.
What did Thomas Henderson do? ›
The 6-foot-2, 221-pound Austin native, who was the 18th overall pick in 1975, partied with entertainers like Richard Pryor and Marvin Gaye; in 1983, following an arrest related to a separate incident involving cocaine and teenage girls, Henderson served 28 months in prison.
How much extra money do players get for winning the Super Bowl? ›
The latest collective bargaining agreement between the NFL Players Association and the NFL dictates that each member of the winning team will receive $164,000, a $7,000 bump over last year's total. Winners of the 2025 Super Bowl will receive $171,000.
Who is the football player named Hollywood? ›
Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson (born March 1, 1953) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League from 1975 through 1981.
What has happened to Henderson? ›
In January 2024, Henderson left Al-Ettifaq after his contract was mutually terminated. On 18 January 2024, Henderson signed for Eredivisie club Ajax on a two-and-a-half-year contract. He made his debut on 3 February in a 1–1 home draw with PSV at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
What happened to Samantha Henderson? ›
Samantha Henderson suffered a “violent assault” before she died, police have said after finding serious neck and head injuries. The 25-year-old's body was pulled from a lake near Ham Common in Hamworthy, Poole, on Friday – eight days after she went missing. It was formally identified yesterday by family members.
How much did Mahomes get for winning the Super Bowl? ›
Mahomes is now in the same league as NFL legends Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, and Troy Aikman — the only starting quarterbacks who have been named Super Bowl MVP at least three times. Winning the Super Bowl also came with an additional $1.25 million bonus on top of his annual salary of $53 million.
How much does Patrick Mahomes make a year? ›
In 2023, he restructured the contract, with the Chiefs agreeing to pay Patrick $210.6 million between 2023 and 2026. This made him the highest earner in a four-season span in NFL history and the contract is expected to be revisited in 2026, according to ESPN. The new contract put his salary at $52.65 million a year.
What do Super Bowl losers get paid? ›
Players on the losing team will get $89,000. That's $7,000 more than last year's Super Bowl bonus. In the first Super Bowl back in 1967, players on the winning team received $15,000 and the losing team got $7,500. Technically the winning prize has increased 993% but that doesn't account for inflation.
What football player was called the beast? ›
Seahawks Legend Marshawn Lynch -- affectionately known as "Beast Mode," was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2010 and he was a part of the Seahawks during their back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in 2013 and 2014, including winning Super Bowl XLVIII.
At Lille, Rami developed into a starter, making his professional debut in May 2007. He is nicknamed "Shrek" by teammates and Lille supporters.
Does Michael Vick play football? ›
Vick joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in August 2015. He played in five games for the Steelers and did not find a team for the 2016 season. In February 2017 Vick retired from the NFL, and six months later he became a studio analyst for NFL telecasts on the Fox Broadcasting Company.
What happened to the Fiesta Henderson NV? ›
Watch the latest KTNV 13 Action News Las Vegas headlines any time. HENDERSON (KTNV) — Plans are continuing to move forward on what to do at the former Fiesta Henderson site. The casino closed in July 2022 and the property was demolished in September 2022. However, city officials did keep the parking structure.
Where did Darrell Henderson go? ›
Darrell Henderson Jr. - Los Angeles Rams Running Back - ESPN.
What happened to Michael Henderson singer? ›
At the time of his death, Henderson was in a relationship with DaMia Satterfield, and separated from his wife, Adelia Thompson. He had three children, and lived in the Atlanta suburb of Dallas, Georgia, where he died from cancer on July 19, 2022, aged 71. almost two weeks after his 71st birthday.
What happened to Nolan Henderson? ›
Henderson signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens following the 2023 NFL Draft but was released prior to training camp. In January, he signed with the Roughnecks in the newly-formed UFL, which came from a merger of the XFL and United States Football League (USFL).
