Luis Alberto Castillo (born August 4, 1983), is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is p ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL). He was drafted by the

Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

in the first round of the

2005 NFL Draft The 2005 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also he ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most o ...

at Northwestern. Castillo was one of the cover athletes for the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

language version of ''

Madden NFL 08 ''Madden NFL 08'' is a 2007 American football video game based on the NFL that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 19th installment in the '' Madden NFL'' video game franchise. It features the former Tennessee Tita ...

''.

Early years

Raised in

Garfield, New Jersey Garfield is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 30,487,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 Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Chart ...

, 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-American 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.

NFL career

2005 NFL Draft

Castillo was selected with the 28th overall pick in the 1st round of the

Positive drug test

Castillo made headlines at the 2005

NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footb ...

when he sent a letter to all 32 NFL teams admitting to using

androstenedione Androstenedione, or 4-androstenedione (abbreviated as A4 or Δ4-dione), also known as androst-4-ene-3,17-dione, is an endogenous weak androgen steroid hormone and intermediate in the biosynthesis of estrone and of testosterone from dehydroepi ...

, a

steroid A steroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter membrane fluidity; and ...

hormone A hormone (from the Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs by complex biological processes to regulate physiology and behavior. Hormones are required ...

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

. 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 Ulnar collateral ligament (or UCL), may refer to: * Ulnar carpal collateral ligament * Ulnar collateral ligament of elbow joint The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) or internal lateral ligament is a thick triangular ligament at the medial aspe ...

, 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 ver 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 (2005-2011)

2005 season

In 2005 Castillo was named an All-Rookie Team selection by NFL.com,

Pro Football Weekly ''Pro Football Weekly'' (sometimes shortened to ''PFW'') is an American sports magazine, founded in 1967, and website that covers the National Football League (NFL). It was owned by Pro Football Weekly LLC and headquartered in Riverwoods, Illinoi ...

/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.

2006 season

In the 2006 opening game at the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Rai ...

ESPN commentator

Dick Vermeil Richard Albert Vermeil (; born October 30, 1936) is a former American football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. He was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles for seven seasons, the St. Lo ...

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 The 2006 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2005 season. The game was played on February 12, 2006, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. It marked the 27th consecutive time that the National Football League's all-s ...

. His season totals included playing in 10 games (9 starts) 37 tackles, 7 sacks, and an interception.

2007 season

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 Vincent Paul Young Jr. (born May 18, 1983) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. Young was drafted by the Tennessee Titans as the third overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, and ...

, Castillo performed a salsa dance for the crowd. Castillo started in all three playoff appearances for the Chargers, including the

AFC Championship The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...

against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The P ...

where he sacked

Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with whi ...

2008 season

Castillo signed a five-year, $43.1 million extension in July 2008. His statistics for the season were 16 games played, 15 starts, 39 tackles, 1½ sacks, a pass defensed and an interception (the second of his career).

2009 season

Castillo started and played 14 games with 2 sacks and 25 total tackles. He led the Chargers into the postseason until losing the divisional round to the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The ...

2010 season

Castillo started all 16 games in 2010 with 2.5 sacks and 26 total tackles. Luis Castillo at Naval Base San Diego 2009-08-21

2011 season

During Week 1 of the 2011 season, Castillo suffered a broken leg and it prematurely ended his 2011 season. He became a free agent after the season in which he played in only one game.

2012 season

After visiting the New England Patriots, he re-signed with the Chargers on a 1-year deal on April 4, 2012. However, Castillo was released by the San Diego Chargers on July 19, 2012.

NFL statistics

Key * GP: games played * COMB: combined tackles * TOTAL: total tackles * AST: assisted tackles * SACK: sacks * FF: forced fumbles * FR: fumble recoveries * FR YDS: fumble return yards * INT: interceptions * IR YDS: interception return yards * AVG IR: average interception return * LNG: longest interception return * TD: interceptions returned for touchdown * PD: passes defensed

Personal life

Castillo is fluent in Spanish. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and moved to the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

with his mother, Maria, when he was a child. They returned to the United States when he was 5, and the family settled in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

. Luis returns to the Dominican Republic every offseason where he is revered as a national icon. During his trips to the Dominican Republic, Castillo hosts a youth football clinic and does many community appearances. In 2005, he was honored with the Youth of the Year Award for excellence outside of the Dominican Republic. Castillo has also emerged as a community leader in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

. In December 2007, he hosted "Shop with a Charger" for abused and neglected children, some of whom were homeless as well. Each child who participated in the event enjoyed dinner with Luis and his teammates and received a holiday gift card from

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarte ...

References

External links

*
Current stats

San Diego Chargers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castillo, Luis 1983 births Living people American football defensive ends American football defensive tackles American sportspeople of Dominican Republic descent Garfield High School (New Jersey) alumni Northwestern Wildcats football players People from Garfield, New Jersey Players of American football from New Jersey San Diego Chargers players Sportspeople from Bergen County, New Jersey Sportspeople from Brooklyn Players of American football from New York City