NFL players riding Red Bull as latest source for an edge

Some European countries, concerned with the ingredients, have not yet authorized the sale of Red Bull.

In the United States, it's everywhere. Walk into a club these days, and you're bound to see club-goers drinking Red Bull and vodka. Look to the desk next to you, and you might see a co-worker downing a Red Bull to get the day going, rather than a cup of coffee.

"It's like a double espresso," Wade said.

That lift is what the NFL players want as well, but their day includes physical activity as part of their job.

For years, players have been searching for the boost. Years ago, amphetamines were big until they were banned. Then before ephedrine was banned, it was Ripped Fuel players used to get up for games. As I was researching a story on Ripped Fuel a few years back, before ephedrine was banned, players openly admitted to using the product.

Red Bull is NFL's current Ripped Fuel.

"Guys were forced to find something else," Holt said.

"Everybody wants that extra jump," Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Brian Kelly said.

Kelly said he usually drinks one can of Red Bull before a game to get him going.

"It's a common drink," Kelly said. "They sell it all over the place. Everybody loves it. We use it to get a little energy boost. It doesn't get your heart rate going that fast, just that little jump that gets you going."

Like Rucker, some players have turned away from Red Bull. Atlanta Falcons defensive end John Abraham and Jaguars safety Deon Grant both used to drink Red Bull before games but have stopped.

"It gets me too hyped," Abraham said.

"When I was with Carolina and I drank it, I was extra hyped," Grant said. "I'd be talking a lot, running around more. It might just be a mental thing, but it certainly made you feel more hyped. It definitely has your motor running. I stopped because I didn't think the acid in it was good for me from a hydration standpoint."

Some dieticians have concluded that the mixing of Red Bull ingredients, particularly the caffeine and sugar, will cause the body to get rid of water. For an NFL player, that's the last thing they want. Staying hydrated is imperative.

"That's why I mix mine with the Mountain Dew," Stroud said. "I don't want to fall out from the Red Bull. I can drink one, but anything over that and I get the jitters."

There's also talk of a crash. Some players say they feel it during games after they drink Red Bull.

"I remember coming down," Rucker said. "That was tough."

Night games are big for Red Bull. Players sit around all day long, waiting to play, and they get stagnant. A Red Bull or two can really help before late kickoffs, they say.

"If I have a night game, I might drink two," Kelly said.

Teams are even providing the Red Bull for players. At $2 a can at the convenience store, the lift isn't cheap. On a recent trip to the Jaguars locker room, some training staff members were seen pushing a cart loaded with cases of Red Bull from the parking lot to the team's facility.

Told about that, defensive end Bobby McCray joked, "They should have had that covered."

Jaguars trainer Mike Ryan did not return a phone call last week, but, according to some players, he is against the use of Red Bull as a pregame upper.

"I think the smartest thing I did was get away from that stuff," Rucker said. "Nobody knows how it affects your heart, but why take the chances that it can do something?"

Why? It's an edge, and we all know NFL players are always looking for the edge.