‘Dark Side of Football’ Season 1 Topics Revealed

Dark Side of Football premieres Thursday night on Vice TV, and the first season will be an interesting one for fans. The Wrap obtained the topics for Season 1 of Dark Side of Football, which is a spinoff to the hit docuseries Dark Side of the Ring. One episode will focus on Bill Belichick, while another will be able the origins of the Oakland Raiders’ famous reputation. Another episode will feature the league’s issues with painkillers.

The other three episodes will be about violence among some hardcore fans, the Cleveland Browns and their past struggles and the diva wide receivers. The first season of Dark Side of Football will feature six one-hour episodes and will air right after Dark Side of the Ring. The series will include appearances and interviews from Chad Johnson, Mike Ditka, Plaxico Burress, Donte Stallworth, Jemele Hill, Bill Romanowski, Jim McMahon, Ricky Williams, Kyle Turley and Lincoln Kennedy.

According to the longline, Dark Side of Football “explores the tension between America’s deeply entrenched and undying love of football, and its unending ability to corrupt those who live and die for it.” The series will “dive deep into the multi-billion dollar machine and monolithic American tradition of professional football that is the National Football League.”

“The meteoric success of Vice TV’s ‘Dark Side of the Ring’ opened up an opportunity for us to expand the franchise to explore other cultural touchstones.” Morgan Hertzan, executive vice president and general manager of Vice TV, said in a statement. “The ‘Dark Side’ franchise explores the underbellies of worlds many prefer left in the shadows and ‘Dark Side of Football’ is a show made out of love for the sport by a network known for its no holds barred approach to storytelling.”

In the trailer, Johnson is interviewed and he spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots. He was known for his wild antics but was one of the top wide receivers of the 2000s. Johnson was selected to play in the Pro Bowl six times and named to the All-Pro team four times. Romanowski is also seen in the trailer and was one of the toughest players in NFL history. He played for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders and won four Super Bowls.