NFL Confidential

True Confessions from the Gutter of Football

By: Johnny Anonymous

Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer

A current pro player takes fans on a pseudonymous trip through one of the most infamous years of football - the very long, sometimes funny, often controversial 2013-2014 season - sharing raucous, behind-the-scenes, on-the-field, and in-the-locker-room truth about life in the National Football League.

"Well, to hell with being safe. I'm going to be honest."

Johnny Anonymous' life goal was to be nothing greater or less than the Best NFL Back-Up of All Time™. For two years, he was content earning hundreds of thousands of dollars to stand on the sidelines doing absolutely nothing. But early in his third year, a starting lineman is injured, and he suddenly finds himself on the field.

For most players, this moment is a dream come true. But not so for our author, one of the incredibly rare birds in football who reach the highest echelons, but who actually hate America's favorite game. That's right. Johnny Anonymous hates football. He hates what it does to his body, his brain, his life. Luckily, he can see the humor in his own situation, but also in the machinations of the NFL.

Part truth-telling narrative, part whip-smart commentary that only a true insider could bring, part hilarious, NFL Confidential gives football fans a look at a world most would give anything to see, and gives non-fans a wild ride through the strange, and sometimes disturbing customs and realities of football today. Here is a truly unaffiliated look at the nation's biggest, most lucrative pastime over the course of one of its most transformative seasons.

From hard-to-stomach diets, showdowns in the weight room, shenanigans in the locker room, the looming dread of being cut from the team, the racial issues that still exist in modern-day football, the rock-star lifestyle that players find themselves able to afford and sometimes enjoy a little too much, the notion of being lauded in a league plagued by controversy, and the sharp contrast between the love/hate of the game and the reality of the job, Johnny reveals a never-before-seen side of the NFL.

©2016 Johnny Anonymous (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

Good story, but no dark secrets of the NFL here

This was an interesting story that entertained me. Hearing how he first got into football, then became burnt out on it, but by the end still loved the game (if not all that goes with it). This is a good story told from a unique perspective with a fair amount of sarcasm and humor. There are some interesting "inside the locker room" stories that are more about cliques, race, and camaraderie than deep secrets of the NFL. Johnny's personal life is discussed just enough for context, but not enough to distract from the overall football story. Probably the most interesting, or entertaining part of the story is the interplay between Johnny and his O-line coach. besides that, just hearing the internal thoughts of someone in this story....be they selfish, vulnerable, reflecting, or angry....it makes the story all the more enjoyable.

There isn't anything overly surprising or revelatory here. There was some discussion about the concerns of concussions, but no details on how the concussion protocols are really happening. There was a little bit about pain killer usage, but not enough to be surprising or shocking. This is why I deducted a star. With a name like NFL Confidential, I was expecting to hear more of the NFL secrets, and why I dedicated a whole paragraph of this review detailing that those secrets are not here. Given the anonymous nature of the book, I think it would have been more hard hitting of some the NFL's dirty secrets were actually revealed. Maybe now that the player that is suspected to have written the book has retired, a follow-up could go down that road.

Just OK

No new revelations, interesting take but was looking for something I didn't feel I already knew.

Really good....not great

The "not great" part comes from the lack of detail probably due to the anonymity of the book.
I was addicted to the story though, and found myself really pulling for the characters.
Definitely worth a listen especially if you like football.

Beware of Language!

A good insight to the world of NFL players but that world really likes to curse.

Really fucking good.

The 'fucking' is more of a call back to the number of F-bombs in this piece, but it rings true. This story had a good build to it. I can say i wasn't with Johnny for the first couple of chapters; he sounded too pessimistic and whiney to be genuine. Though i identified with his know-it-all mentality and appreciated him for calling himself out. But as the story progressed i began to like him more and more and root for him and most of all laugh with him. This was a wildly refreshing look at football, the NFL and the people who play it. And honestly, I'd love to read(well, listen to) more from him.

Interesting as a who-dun-it

Would you try another book from Johnny Anonymous and/or Jeffrey Kafer?
I would definitely listen to another book recorded by Jeffrey Kafer.

Johnny Anonymous? I'm not sure.

Would you recommend NFL Confidential to your friends? Why or why not?
What kept me interested in this book was the "who-dun-it" adventure, trying to listen for clues that I could use to try to uncover the identity of Johnny Anonymous. Johnny himself was pretty whiney -- oh, boohoo, you make a minimum of $450k a year and life is so hard. The story was redeemed in the end when he seemed to come to an understanding of how different his life could be.


If this book were a movie would you go see it?
Probably not.

A bit dark

It was a bit down about the NFL from a players perspective. Also, it ended too soon. Didn’t talk about future seasons

Great Book, Easy listening.

Would you consider the audio edition of NFL Confidential to be better than the print version?

Not sure. I enjoyed listening to this reader and the story was well told.

What was one of the most memorable moments of NFL Confidential?

The constant ups and downs of dealing with a high level position such as the NFL. Hard to imagine.

What about Jeffrey Kafer’s performance did you like?

His voice was pleasant and did a nice job telling the author's story.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was really shocked in all honesty. Everyone thinks how great it must be to play in the NFL and it's not really that way. I truly enjoyed his story and would love to know which player in real life he is....

For any die-hard football fan

This book is an interesting take on the life of a pro player. Nothing revolutionary is uncovered but what is most interesting is the little nuances in the life of s pro player. The politics, the psychology, the brutal maitre of the business, and of course the personalities of the egos involved. Was an entertaining listen. Recommend for all those who like football, dating a player, or are thinking about dating a football player.

Better than I expected

So this is a memoir of one disgruntled player in the NFL. It is surprisingly well written for this genre, entertaining, and engaging. The book reflects the culture of the sport, I think, to a pretty good extent, so the message about women, gay rights, etc, is pretty rough. And there is frequent adult language. So I can't say I recommend this book, but I did gain insights into a life that I know little about.