Ezekiel Elliott was Obese for the 2019 Season. Why BMI for Athletes May Not Be Correct.
Ezekiel Elliott has always been in under public scrutiny, due to his weight, but a recent picture released with fat-shamers were out in full force. In the picture, he was wearing black shirt with a awkward upward angle.
Curious on this issue, we decided to use the heights and weights of players to calculate BMI of each star player for the 2019 season using the metrics listed on the NFL.com player profiles. We then classified each athlete based on World Health Organization (WHO) standards.
Using this method, every NFL star is at least overweight. The WHO criteria is based on a metric called Body Mass Index which is a calculation using the height and weight of an individual. According to the WHO, BMI 25 or above indicates “overweight”; a BMI of 30 or more indicates clinical obesity. See the table below to find your favorite star and his classification. Note that by using this approach, Russell Wilson and Saquon Barkley, is clinically obese.
*For mobile users, scroll to the right to continue viewing each table column*
Team | Star Player | Height | Weight | BMI | WHO Classification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arizona Cardinals | Kyler Murray | 5’10” | 207 | 29.7 | Overweight |
Atlanta Falcons | Matt Ryan | 6’4″ | 217 | 26.4 | Overweight |
Baltimore Ravens | Lamar Jackson | 6’2″ | 212 | 27.2 | Overweight |
Buffalo Bills | Josh Allen | 6’5″ | 237 | 28.1 | Overweight |
Carolina Panthers | Christian McCaffrey | 5’11″ | 205 | 28.6 | Overweight |
Chicago Bears | Mitchell Trubisky | 6’2″ | 215 | 27.6 | Overweight |
Cincinnati Bengals | Andy Dalton | 6’2″ | 216 | 27.7 | Overweight |
Cleveland Browns | Baker Mayfield | 6’1″ | 215 | 28.4 | Overweight |
Dallas Cowboys | Ezekiel Elliott | 6’0″ | 228 | 30.9 | Obese |
Denver Broncos | Joe Flacco | 6’6″ | 245 | 28.3 | Overweight |
Detroit Lions | Matthew Stafford | 6’3″ | 226 | 28.2 | Overweight |
Green Bay Packers | Aaron Rodgers | 6’2″ | 225 | 28.9 | Overweight |
Houston Texans | Deshaun Watson | 6’2″ | 220 | 28.2 | Overweight |
Indianapolis Colts | Jacoby Brissett | 6’4″ | 238 | 29.0 | Overweight |
Jacksonville Jaguars | Gardner Minshew II | 6’1″ | 225 | 29.7 | Overweight |
Kansas City Chiefs | Patrick Mahomes | 6’3″ | 230 | 28.7 | Overweight |
Los Angeles Chargers | Philip Rivers | 6’5″ | 228 | 27.0 | Overweight |
Los Angeles Rams | Jared Goff | 6’4″ | 215 | 26.2 | Overweight |
Miami Dolphins | Ryan Fitzpatrick | 6’2″ | 228 | 29.3 | Overweight |
Minnesota Vikings | Kirk Cousins | 6’3″ | 210 | 26.2 | Overweight |
New England Patriots | Tom Brady | 6’4″ | 225 | 27.4 | Overweight |
New Orleans Saints | Drew Brees | 6’0″ | 209 | 28.3 | Overweight |
New York Giants | Saquon Barkley | 5’11″ | 233 | 32.5 | Obese |
New York Jets | Sam Darnold | 6’3″ | 225 | 28.1 | Overweight |
Oakland Raiders | Derek Carr | 6’3″ | 215 | 26.9 | Overweight |
Philadelphia Eagles | Carson Wentz | 6’5″ | 237 | 28.1 | Overweight |
Pittsburgh Steelers | Ben Roethlisberger | 6’5″ | 240 | 28.5 | Overweight |
San Francisco 49ers | Jimmy Garoppolo | 6’2″ | 225 | 28.9 | Overweight |
Seattle Seahawks | Russell Wilson | 5’11” | 215 | 30.0 | Obese |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Jameis Winston | 6’4″ | 231 | 28.1 | Overweight |
Tennessee Titans | Ryan Tannehill | 6’4″ | 216 | 26.3 | Overweight |
Washington Redskins | Dwayne Haskins | 6’4″ | 230 | 28.0 | Overweight |
We at Onsite Health Diagnostics believe it is important for everyone to understand the nuances of biometric measurements. The gentlemen listed are professional athletes playing a game where strength is paramount, and in order to qualify to play their position, they must carry more muscle mass per pound of body weight than normal men.
Body Mass Index is, therefore, not sufficient on its own to indicate the health of these gentlemen. In order to better understand their health, we would need other factors such as a waist measurement. Our suspicion is that their waist measurements would show that these men are perfectly healthy.
The same applies to any man who has a high percentage of muscle mass. With the increasing popularity of testosterone treatments among middle aged men, this phenomenon may apply to you or someone you know. Make sure that your health is being evaluated in a fair manner by taking the time to understand the details behind any health measurement you receive from your doctor or your workplace wellness initiative.
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