Hillis was selected in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. He had his most successful year with the Cleveland Browns 2010, wherein he racked up over 1,100 rushing yards and 13 total touchdowns.
Hillis also played for the Kansas City Chiefs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the New York Giants before retiring in 2015 due to his history with concussions.
In 2011, Hillis was voted by fans to be on the cover of EA Sports’ Madden NFL 12 video game, an honor that is believed by some to curse NFL players’ seasons the following year.
When Hillis was asked by a reporter whether he believed in the video game curse, he said, “I don’t believe in curses. I could get hurt next year, but I don’t believe it has anything to do with the curse. I’m a Christian man and I don’t believe anything could be put in front of me that God can’t take away. I would love to prove everyone wrong and have an exceptional year and not get hurt.”
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Hillis played 10 games in 2011 but only tallied 587 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns.
