Tony Romo is Overweight; Russell Wilson is Clinically Obese. Why BMI for Athletes May Not Be Correct.
Tony Romo recently made headlines due to a picture released with reports that he is overweight. In the picture he was wearing body protection which made Romo’s torso appear more robust than his actual body. The team responded that Mr. Romo is in good shape, and we believe them.
Curious on this issue, we decided to use the heights and weights of players to calculate BMI of each projected starting NFL quarterback for the 2016 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 quarterback 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 quarterback and his classification. Note that by using this approach, one quarterback, Russell Wilson, is clinically obese.
*For mobile users, scroll to the right to continue viewing each table column*
| Team | Projected Starting Quarterback | Height | Weight | BMI | WHO Classification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | Carson Palmer | 6’5″ | 235 | 27.9 | Overweight |
| Atlanta Falcons | Matt Ryan | 6’4″ | 217 | 26.4 | Overweight |
| Baltimore Ravens | Joe Flacco | 6’6″ | 245 | 28.3 | Overweight |
| Buffalo Bills | Tyrod Taylor | 6’1″ | 215 | 28.4 | Overweight |
| Carolina Panthers | Cam Newton | 6’5″ | 245 | 29.0 | Overweight |
| Chicago Bears | Jay Cutler | 6’3″ | 231 | 28.9 | Overweight |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Andy Dalton | 6’2″ | 216 | 27.7 | Overweight |
| Cleveland Browns | Robert Griffin III | 6’2″ | 218 | 28.0 | Overweight |
| Dallas Cowboys | Tony Romo | 6’2″ | 230 | 29.5 | Overweight |
| Denver Broncos | Mark Sanchez | 6’2″ | 225 | 28.9 | Overweight |
| Detroit Lions | Matthew Stafford | 6’3″ | 226 | 28.2 | Overweight |
| Green Bay Packers | Aaron Rodgers | 6’2″ | 225 | 28.9 | Overweight |
| Houston Texans | Brock Osweiler | 6’8″ | 240 | 26.4 | Overweight |
| Indianapolis Colts | Andrew Luck | 6’4″ | 240 | 29.2 | Overweight |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Blake Bortles | 6’5″ | 246 | 29.2 | Overweight |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Alex Smith | 6’4″ | 217 | 26.4 | Overweight |
| Los Angeles Rams | Jared Goff | 6’4″ | 215 | 26.2 | Overweight |
| Miami Dolphins | Ryan Tennehill | 6’4″ | 216 | 26.3 | Overweight |
| Minnesota Vikings | Teddy Bridgewater | 6’2″ | 215 | 27.6 | 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 | Eli Manning | 6’4″ | 218 | 26.5 | Overweight |
| New York Jets | Ryan Fitzpatrick | 6’2″ | 223 | 28.6 | Overweight |
| Oakland Raiders | Derek Carr | 6’3″ | 215 | 26.9 | Overweight |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Sam Bradford | 6’4″ | 224 | 27.3 | Overweight |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Ben Roethlisberger | 6’5″ | 240 | 28.5 | Overweight |
| San Diego Chargers | Philip Rivers | 6’5″ | 228 | 27.0 | Overweight |
| San Francisco 49ers | Colin Kaepernick | 6’4″ | 230 | 28.0 | Overweight |
| Seattle Seahawks | Russell Wilson | 5’11” | 215 | 30.0 | Obese |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Jameis Winston | 6’4″ | 231 | 28.1 | Overweight |
| Tennessee Titans | Marcus Mariota | 6’4″ | 222 | 27.0 | Overweight |
| Washington Redskins | Kirk Cousins | 6’3″ | 210 | 26.2 | 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.
For additional information on Onsite Health Diagnostics please click here.