Former Broncos center Tom Nalen admits trying to intentionally injure player

Former Broncos center Tom Nalen said he tried to intentionally hurt a player. (B. Bahr/Getty Images)

Former Denver Broncos center Tom Nalen said that he intentionally tried to hurt a player, according to the team's website.

He made the admission during a press conference to introduce him as a member of the Broncos Ring of Fame.

Nalen said that in 2006, he attempted to injure San Diego Chargers defensive lineman Igor Olshansky.

On the play Nalen is referring to, the Broncos lined up to spike the ball and stop the clock, causing players on both teams to stand up. Instead, Nalen dove into Olshansky’s knee and Olshansky then threw two punches at Nalen and was ejected from the game.

“I wouldn’t consider myself a dirty player,” Nalen said. “I know people will bring up the Igor Olshansky play in 2006, but if people would look at the play before that and realize why I did what I did — and even on that play I missed the cut — so you know definitely, I wanted to blow his knee out on that play because of what happened the play before. But that, you know, is that dirty? I don’t know. It’s revenge, kind of, so.”