Watch: Terry Crews explains how 49ers coach made him give up on NFL dream

Before pursuing an acting career, Terry Crews spent several seasons bouncing around the NFL. A bad experience with a San Francisco 49ers coach ultimately convinced him to walk away from football.

Crews, who stars in the FOX sitcom "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," spoke about his brief stint with the 49ers on the latest episode of the YouTube web series "Hot Ones."

"It was 1997. I got a tryout with the 49ers and they treated me so bad," Crews said. "I mean, they treated me like I was dirt.

"He was working me out like he was mad he had to be out there. It was just a psychological mess. I was a little farther away from him than I am with you, and he threw the ball at me and I flipped my hand up - my finger was like an 'L.' It totally went sideways and I snapped it back. And I was like, 'What you doing?' And he was like, 'C'mon let's get to work out.' I was like, 'I'm done.'"

Steve Mariucci was head coach of the 49ers at the time, but Crews didn't specify whether it was him or an assistant that made him quit.