I used to be his workout partner for a while back in the 90's, before he moved of to LA..... and the thing that I can say about Craig, ( back then) is he was alway's nice to me, I was not your typical Bodybuilder in the fact I had a good job, and never was into the Bodybuilding lifestyle, except for the training, eating and trying to get big. I never did recreational drugs, heck I have never even smoked weed, I just never wanted to. One day Craig approached me at the gym, and asked if I wanted to train with him, as he was about 3 months out from a contest, and he needed a serious training partner, I agreed, and we started traiinng, We trained hard in the gym for about a year, became somewhat good friends, we would meet for lunch when my schedule allowed it. Back then, ( llike now) I made a good living, and Craig never once hit me up for a loan, or tried to use me, like all the other stories I have read on here, never one time did he try to sell me drug's or even ask if I used recreational drugs. Well about a year later, my job was transfered to another city , and we never did train together again, I heard he moved out out to LA with his girlfriend shorly there after.
I remember some of the other guy's he hung around with at the time, I remember a friend of his that would come train with us every now and then, he ( his friend) had a ankle bracelet ( Monitor) and I remember Craig telling me he was out on bail for something , but to be honest I dont remember what, and also maybe 2 or 3 other guys that he would hang out with in the gym some, they all seemed to not have a real job, and they seemed to all date Strippers.
He used to tell me how shady the Bodybuilding industry was ( in detail), he would tell me that he hoped to turn pro soon, save his cash, and be out of it in 5 to 10 years, this was back around 94 , 95. He used to tell me I was lucky that I had a life outsdfe of Bodybuilding , a career, and was not a Bodybuilding Bum, and although many used to tell me I should get more serious and that I could go far becasue of my genetics, but that was never an interest to me, I just never had a desire to get in a small swim suit, and get up in front of people on a stage) plus I had busted my ass in college, and already had my career going . Wel after a year I lost touch with him, and had not talked to him in over 8 yearsor so, and now to read about all of this , is just shocking.
All I can say is this was not the Craig I knew, not the least bit, he was always nice to me, very humble and seemed to be very focused on his future in Bodybuilding and for his day's after bodybuilding.
To read how messed up his life has become, it just shocking, I sit here now and wonder did I ever really know him ? or was it the recreational drugs that changed him ? like in the latest Johnny Cash movie, how when Cash got into to drugs, he went down hill fast, and lost all of his friends and family, until finally getting clean, was this what happened to Craig maybe ? or was it him moving to LA that did this ? like all the stories he told me about LA, ? It just seems it is best not to ever go to LA, Haney in Georgia, Yates staying in England, Coleman in Texas, it just seems it is best to stay out of that LA bodybuilding scene . Buit what do I know.... ? I am only going of of what he himself told me about LA, and what I have also read on here. maybe it is bad every where for People in the Bodybuilding Liferstyle now.
I don't really know the answer, as the Craig I knew was 10 years ago. All I do know is it is so tragic to read about all of this, and all of the lives that are ruined.
