By Sporting News staff reports

updated 12:44 p.m. ET June 24, 2008

Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw admitted that he took steroids while playing football in the 1970s, according to several reports.

Bradshaw said on The Dan Patrick Show on Thursday, "We did steroids to get away the aches and the speed of healing. My use of steroids from a doctor was to speed up injury, and I thought nothing of it. ... It was to speed up the healing process, that was it. It wasn't to get bigger and stronger and faster."

SN contributor Mike Florio writes on profootballtalk.com that the story of Bradshaw's admission has received very little attention despite the scrutiny currently surrounding the use of performance enhancing drugs in all sports.

Florio writes, "When Pats safety Rodney Harrison was popped last year for possession of HGH, he claimed he wasn't cheating because he was only doing it to recover from an injury -- ignoring the obvious reality that using banned substances to speed recovery from an injury is simply another form of cheating."

The New York Daily News reports that it was unclear whether Bradshaw was referring to corticosteroids or anabolic steroids. Corticosteroids are given to many athletes and non-athletes in the form of cortisone shots to promote healing. Cortisone shots are legal and allowed per NFL rules and other leagues' substance policies. Anabolic steroids are not allowed by leagues.

Bradshaw suffered neck, wrist and elbow injuries during his career and retired after suffering an elbow injury near the end of the 1983 season.

Several Steelers players from the 1970s have admitted to using steroids, including the late Steve Courson, whom Bradshaw mentioned in the interview with Patrick, according to the Daily News report. Courson described to Sports Illustrated how he used Anadrol-50, Dianabol, Winstrol and Deca Durobilin while playing.

Bradshaw is a four-time Super Bowl champion, two-time Super Bowl MVP, three-time Pro Bowl selection and 1978 NFL MVP. He finished his 14-year career with 27,989 passing yards and 212 passing touchdowns. He also had 32 rushing touchdowns.

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