# Can gorillas play in the NFL? Would they be any good? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 13, 2012, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-gorillas-play-in-the-nfl-would-they-be-any-good/612673 "2012-02-13T04:47:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-gorillas-play-in-the-nfl-would-they-be-any-good/612673/61 "2012-03-30T16:24:12Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > I think a gorilla could throw well. The reason we can is because our ancestors needed to be able to swing from things and it’s a similar movement. > [@Chronos](#): > > The major reason they’re so much stronger than us is that they _can’t_ throw well. It’s a matter of leverage, and where the muscles connect to the bones: You can have slow strong motions, or you can have fast weak motions. Humans get a lot of use out of throwing things, so we’ve selected for arm speed over strength. For a discussion of how throwing skilfully apparently evolved exclusively in humans, see this blog page: [A Prehistory of Throwing Things](http://ecodevoevo.blogspot.com/2009/10/prehistory-of-throwing-things.html). ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-gorillas-play-in-the-nfl-would-they-be-any-good/612673/62 "2012-03-30T16:29:36Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > A one-hand pull of 1260 pounds, on the other hand, implies being able to deadlift a ton, which seems both unbelievable, and inconsistent with the actual verified value of 600 pounds. Suzette cheated. She put her feet on the way and effectively dead-lifted horizontally. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpax181](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3da27b/32.png) [@wolfpax181](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpax181)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-gorillas-play-in-the-nfl-would-they-be-any-good/612673/63 "2012-04-01T00:50:30Z")
I’m amazed no one else brought this up, but I think they’d provide a disadvantage to their team. Let’s say you have the ball and you’re running for a touch down, are you going to run faster from a couple big guys or one enthusiastic gorilla? Fear is a powerful motivator. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-gorillas-play-in-the-nfl-would-they-be-any-good/612673/64 "2012-04-03T20:59:49Z")
> [@wolfpax181](#): > > I’m amazed no one else brought this up, but I think they’d provide a disadvantage to their team. Let’s say you have the ball and you’re running for a touch down, are you going to run faster from a couple big guys or one enthusiastic gorilla? > > Fear is a powerful motivator. You are right, but to get this effect, they’ll have to run PAST the gorilla first ---
**Author:** ![RalfCoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@RalfCoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RalfCoder)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-gorillas-play-in-the-nfl-would-they-be-any-good/612673/65 "2012-04-03T21:12:04Z")
> [@wolfpax181](#): > > I’m amazed no one else brought this up, but I think they’d provide a disadvantage to their team. Let’s say you have the ball and you’re running for a touch down, are you going to run faster from a couple big guys or one enthusiastic gorilla? > > Fear is a powerful motivator. You’re dern tootin’ it is… If that was me carrying the ball, I’d still be accelerating when I hit the end zone. I’d vault over the wall into the seats, climbing past cheerleaders, the marching band, photographers, and geezers who came all the way from Poughkeepsie to see the game, etc, hoping all the while that at least ONE person in my path has a banana to distract that damned gorilla!!! ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-gorillas-play-in-the-nfl-would-they-be-any-good/612673/66 "2012-04-07T16:35:26Z")
> [@Darth\_Ayebaw](#): > > A gorilla is fairly intelligent, and can run as fast as a human, but aren’t they physically incapable of throwing a football the way it’d need to be thrown? I mean they left the trees (other than for sleeping) even earlier than the chimps, and not even chimps can throw like humans. So they would concentrate on the running game. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-gorillas-play-in-the-nfl-would-they-be-any-good/612673/67 "2014-06-29T03:13:16Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > But I’d be worried about them getting over excited when tackling and chewing someones face off. I’m not exactly sure what the penalty is for that, but its probably pretty high. [He’d probably get a 4 month ban in association football](http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/football/fifas-valcke-says-suarez-should-seek-help-for-biting-problem/story-fn63e0vj-1226969888996?nk=3d93de9cf050b7a9075c6210a17be6c3) ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2014, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-gorillas-play-in-the-nfl-would-they-be-any-good/612673/68 "2014-07-03T21:41:07Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > "Even more frightening, a female chimp, weighing a mere 135 pounds and going by the name of Suzette, checked in with a one-handed pull of 1,260 pounds … This claim is considered dubious as Suzette did not actually do a one-handed pull, but instead braced herself against the wall and pulled with her whole body, greatly increasing the amount she could pull over pulling just with one arm. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-gorillas-play-in-the-nfl-would-they-be-any-good/612673.md?page=3)