National Football League (NFL) running back Eddie Lacy inked a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks that may make him limit his intake of his favorite Chinese food due to a $385,000 incentive to get slimmer.
The bonus is based on him hitting specific weights on seven separate occasions. Lacy can make $55,000 for each weigh-in if he makes 255 pounds in May, cuts down to 250 in June and August, and maintains a weight of 245 pounds every month from September to December.
The 5-11 Lacy weighed 231 pounds when he entered the NFL with the Green Bay Packers in 2013 and weighed as much as 267 pounds this off-season.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said that he wants Lacy to be "in the best shape" where he can run at his fastest, be durable and "handle the load."
The coach noted that Lacy was below 245 pounds when he was drafted by the Packers, but realized that he's developed into a bigger version who is "really dangerous."
However, Carroll is aware that Lacy may be limited in his conditioning work since he is still rehabilitating his ankle after surgery.
The overweight Lacy's love for Chinese food and his struggle with his weight has been well documented throughout his four years in the NFL career.
But even before that Lacy had tweeted around 20 times about Chinese food from 2011 to 2013. In the past years, Lacy has stopped tweeting about Chinese food but not in eating it.
There are many athletes like Lacy who have a weight issue, such as Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval whose belt buckle broke on a swing and New York Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon who was listed at 280 pounds despite being only 5-11.
NBA All-Star Shawn Kemp who played for the Seattle Supersonics, a team that has relocated to Oklahoma City, also encountered weight problems that impeded his quick slashing and dunking style of play.