Luis Castillo (American football)

Luis Alberto Castillo (born August 4, 1983), is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Chargers in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Northwestern.

Castillo was the cover athlete for the Spanish language version of Madden NFL 08.

Early years
Raised in Garfield, New Jersey, Castillo attended Garfield High School, where he was team captain and team MVP of the football team, under coach Steven Mucha.

College career
He attended Northwestern University, where he lived in Elder Hall for his freshman year. He was a 2004 Pro Football Weekly All-American selection, a Second-team All-Big Ten, Academic All-America by ESPN and Second-team Academic All-Big Ten. In 2003 he was a First-team Academic All-District and Academic All-Big Ten. Again, a Second-team Academic All-District by CoSIDA and Academic All-Big Ten in 2002. Castillo finished career with 251 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 19.5 tackles for loss.

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

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,['] Castillo told me. '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, San Diego Chargers Executive Vice President and General Manager A. J. 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.''"

San Diego Chargers
Luis Castillo is only the fourth player of Dominican heritage to be drafted and start in the NFL.

In 2005 Castillo was named an All-Rookie Team selection by NFL.com, Pro Football Weekly/Professional Football Writers of America. Castillo has emerged as a play maker alongside Jamal Williams and Igor Olshansky, creating havoc in opposing backfields. He ended his rookie season with 49 tackles, 3½ sacks, and 3 pass deflections. 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. His season totals included playing in 10 games (9 starts) 37 tackles, 7 sacks, and an interception, On November 6, 2007, it was announced that Castillo would miss at least 6 weeks after having surgery on one of his knees. For the 2007 season he again played in 10 games and started nine. He totaled 33 tackles, 2½ sacks and one deflected pass. In 2008, following a tackle of Vince Young, Castillo performed a salsa dance for the crowd. His statistics for 2008 were 16 games played, 15 starts, 39 tackles, 1½ sacks, a pass defensed and an interception (the second of his career). During Week 1 of the 2011 season, Castillo suffered a broken leg and was put on the injured reserve list. Castillo was released by the San Diego Chargers on July 19, 2012.