Shawne Merriman Says He Once Walked In on Nick Hardwick Doing Naked Squats

If you're looking for a true gem straight out of the NFL locker room treasure chest, you'll be tickled to hear Shawne Merriman's tale of that one time he walked in on his teammate lifting in the buff.

The former San Diego Chargers linebacker wove this novel-worthy tale from his playing days during a recent "Story Time" chat with the Players' Tribune.

Merriman said he dropped into the Chargers weight room for an impromptu lift after a team meeting only to find center Nick Hardwick doing squats in the nude.

I'll let Merriman take it from here:

"

It's the middle of a game week, and we're at the Chargers facility early for team meetings. Our defensive meeting ends early, so I decide to go hit the gym for a few minutes.

I'm walking to the gym, and it's pretty much a ghost town. It's about 8 AM, and most of the guys are still in other meetings. I walk past the floor-to-ceiling glass windows that look into the gym, and just like the rest of the facility, it's pretty much empty.

Except for one guy: our then-300-pound center, Nick Hardwick.

And he's literally butt-ass naked, wearing nothing but tennis shoes and his tattoos, doing squats.

"

Merriman said he malfunctioned at the sight, not knowing what to do. He eventually decided on a sensible option and fell to the floor crying with laughter:

"

I freakin' lose it. I'm literally on all fours laughing, crying so hard I can barely stand up. I never even make it into the weight room. I just run to tell the other guys, Yo, go check out your boy Nick …

"

Hardwick also spoke to the Players' Tribune. He said getting naked was just his way of keeping things interesting during the long NFL grind:

"

I found nudity was usually a really great way to break the ice. Not even break the ice, but break the monotony of the day and the season. During the season, the weeks just get so long ...

Sometimes I would show up to a special teams meeting uninvited. I'd walk in butt naked, and go up and give the special teams coordinator a hug. A big, butt-naked hug. Then I'd leave.

A lot of my best stories come from me being naked.

"

Hardwick swears it's all true.

Some visions you just can't unsee.

Dan is on Twitter, looking to see if there's a way to scrub the inside of his mind's eye.