Lyle Alzado was adamant in his belief that steroid use caused his terminal brain cancer.
Doctors say there is no proof he was right."As a scientist, one cannot really say it is clear the anabolic steroids led to the lymphoma," said Dr. Thomas DeLoughery, a blood cancer specialist at Oregon Health Sciences University. "I think it's unfortunately open to speculation."
Alzado, once one of the most feared defensive linemen in professional football, died in his sleep Thursday at his home in Lake Oswego, a Portland suburb. He was 43.
A rare form of brain lymphoma turned what once had been a mountainous athlete known for his bone-jarring violence into a whispering shell of a man.
Alzado played for Denver, Cleveland and the Los Angeles Raiders in a 14-year NFL career. He retired in 1985.