Peter Gent was a Cowboys wide receiver in the 1960s who wrote a semi-autobiographical novel after his career titled “North Dallas Forty.” The book, which was later adapted into a movie of the same name, chronicled eight days in the life of a professional football player. The fictitious player, Phil Elliott, exposed a dark side to the game that helped change the perception of the sport. Far from the glorified perception of the NFL at that time, the novel characterized the sport as violent and the league ridden with drug abuse, racism, sexism, and exploitation. Characters were said to be based on Gent’s Cowboys teammates and coaches. The 1979 film, starring Nick Nolte as the protagonist and which Gent co-wrote, likewise portrayed the game as violent, owners as greedy, and drug and alcohol use rampant.