Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson thinks his performance water cures concussions.
But former Buccaneers punter Michael Koenen thinks the brand he was drinking cost him an NFL job.
According to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports, Koenen claims that a tainted batch of performance drink made him sick, weakening him to the point it affected his ability to do his job.
Koenen didn’t name the product because of a pending legal action, but said he’s still feeling the effects of the sickness he believes stems from the water. He said he fell sick during the 2014 season, during which he logged a career low in gross punting average, and his distance on kickoffs fell sharply as well.
He said that during last season, he received a recall notice saying the product might have been contaminated with mold and yeast spores.
“At first it felt like flu symptoms,” Koenen said. “Then one day my back and neck tightened and I was aching all over. I felt nauseous all the time. When I was sitting in my truck driving, I couldn’t lean forward to pick something up off the console. It was just terrible.”
Koenen said multiple doctors struggled to diagnose the problem, with one trying to prescribe anti-depressants because he thought he thought the problem was psychosomatic.
“At this point we’re still trying to figure out how to completely heal me,” he said.
The 33-year-old punter said he’s had to turn down offers to come work out because he’s not feeling well enough, even though he stopped drinking the product when he received the recall notice last year.