HEALTH: Eric Heitmann Interview Questions

1) What do you think about Jeff Garcia's DUI?

First of all I would like to say that I have always had an enormous amount of respect for Jeff. He has made so many great contributions to the Bay Area from his public work, working with children, and establishing a charity fund that gives Hispanic teenagers opportunities to go to college. Although I was upset to hear of his DUI, I do not believe it takes away from the kind of individual Jeff is. I know that Jeff will see this as a very bad mistake and will do everything in his power to make amends for it.

2) What is your favorite weather to play in?

I have played in every weather condition that there is: snow, mud, sweltering heat, freezing temperatures, pouring rain. My favorite playing conditions probably would be partly cloudy with a high low of 45/30 and a slight wind chill.

3) How did it feel to be injured? And what will it take to be ready for next season?

This has been the hardest football season that I’ve endured since I started 11 years ago. I have never missed a game with injury and I always felt like I could play through any pain. I was very wrong. My ankle injuries are healing fine, but I will have to undergo a surgical procedure on my knee to remove a ruptured bursa sac. I’ll have about four week of rehabilitation, but after that I expect to be ready to take on the challenges of this upcoming season.

4) What team do you want to beat the most?

I always love beating the St. Louis Rams, mainly because they are always our big division rival. Next year we get to play some AFC teams on the east coast: New England and the Miami Dolphins. These are two teams that we may not get to play for a few years so we’d better make the most of it.

5) Once you were eliminated from the playoffs, who were you rooting for?

I found myself rooting for the NFC teams as I watched the playoff games. I would have really liked to see Carolina win in the Super Bowl, because one of my best friends, Casey Moore, is a fullback for that squad.

6) What do you think about all the steroid use that is linked to the Balco labs?

I don’t know that much about it except that it has almost identical side-effects as the traditional steroid that is most commonly associated with athletes in professional sports. What makes this steroid unique is that it was undetectable from our standard drug tests that are administered by the NFL. I know that steroids have very negative side effects for athletes and they are also ILLEGAL!! I have never even thought that I would need to take performance enhancing drugs to get an edge; that is what the weight room and the track are for.