Ray Nicholson reveals he was nearly in a coma after contracting dangerous infection

Ray Nicholson reveals how a near-fatal MRSA infection ended his football career and inspired him to pursue acting

Ray Nicholson has revealed that a life-threatening infection nearly cost him his arm and brought his high school football career to an abrupt end before inspiring him to pursue acting.

The actor, 34, shared the experience during an interview with PEOPLE while discussing his latest film, The Mosquito Bowl, alongside co-star Tom Francis.

Nicholson recalled developing a staph infection that progressed into MRSA, a potentially serious bacterial infection, during his final football game in high school. The condition caused his arm to swell dramatically, leaving doctors concerned about the spread of the infection.

“My arm got so swollen up, they literally drew a line on my arm and were like, ‘If the infection gets past here, we have to cut off your arm,’” he said.

Nicholson also revealed that he lost approximately 50 pounds in a week and was nearly in a semi-coma during the ordeal. Following his recovery, the experience prompted him to reconsider his future and pursue a career in acting.

The son of actor Jack Nicholson and actress Rebecca Broussard had previously considered becoming a sports agent. Although football had given his life direction, he eventually realised that acting was what he had always wanted to do.

Nicholson made his screen debut in the 2006 comedy The Benchwarmers before pursuing acting more seriously in 2018. He later gained wider recognition through projects including Smile 2 in 2024.

His latest project, The Mosquito Bowl, sees him portray real-life American football player Tony Butkovich, who served as a US Marine during World War II. The film also stars Tom Francis, Bill Skarsgård and Nicholas Galitzine.

Nicholson described the opportunity to return to football through the role as a dream experience. The Mosquito Bowl arrives in theatres on October 30 and will begin streaming on Netflix on November 25.