During his freshman year at the University of South Carolina, Courson later stated that: "I got banged around by older, stronger kids.
He was one of the first American football players to admit to using steroids and harshly criticized them, making nearly 100 speeches a year to high school and college athletes about their dangers.
Courson bench pressed 605 pounds (274 kg) but came to feel ashamed and guilty that he really didn't lift the weight – it was the power that steroids gave him.
Courson had been cutting down a 44-foot (13 m) tree on his property, but a gust of wind changed the direction of its fall, and he moved into its path while attempting to prevent his dog from being struck.
The dog, a black Labrador retriever, was found alive guarding Courson's body when the tree was removed.
"I believe the NFL is a prisoner to their own public relations myth," Courson said in the letter, which was found on the computer of his western Pennsylvania home after his death.