Ball addiction to alcohol

[JT24Champ]

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/1...ens-alcoholism

maybe this is why he did so poorly in the nfl.

[broncoslover115]

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/1...ens-alcoholism

maybe this is why he did so poorly in the nfl.

Glad he finally realized he needed help and got it. Addiction and alcoholism are tough diseases and can ruin lives really fast. It can take everything from a person.

[CoryWinget81]

I knew it was bad, didn't know it was Maurice Clarett level bad.

[CoryWinget81]

Ball said Broncos running backs coach Eric Studesville told him after one meeting that he could smell alcohol on his breath.

"He talked about how he could smell the alcohol on me and that he thinks I may have a problem with drinking," Ball told the website. "He said if I needed any help with that he could reach out to people I could talk to. I didn't listen to him."

It's encouraging that the Broncos promote getting help within. It's too bad he wouldn't listen.

[Rancid]

Glad he got his life turned around.

[Joshua2585]

Once a Bronco, always a Bronco. I'll always root for him. Very sad he didn't pan out, but really happy to hear he is turning it around.

To think how great he could have been if he would have kept his life in check...

[Bootleg]

Broncos' 2013 second-round pick explains how he drank his way out of the NFL

As the third running back taken in the 2013 NFL Draft, it seemed like Montee Ball had a bright future in the NFL when the Broncos selected him with the 58th overall pick.

However, Ball’s bright future in the league never materialized, and now we know why: The former Wisconsin running back says that he drank himself out of the NFL.

In a revealing interview with the Sporting News, Ball said that he got drunk at least four nights a week during the NFL regular season if the Broncos were playing a Sunday game.

The running back said that he would usually find time to drink on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays during the season. Ball had thought he was being coy about his issue until Broncos running backs coach Eric Studesville called him out after a meeting one day.

“He talked about how he could smell the alcohol on me and that he thinks I may have a problem with drinking,” Ball said. “He said if I needed any help with that he could reach out to people I could talk to. I didn’t listen to him.”

During his two seasons in the NFL, Ball didn’t really listen to anyone. After being drafted, the NFLPA held regular seminars to let rookies know about the potential pitfalls of playing in the NFL. Unfortunately, Ball didn’t listen to them, either.

“I wouldn’t take any of it seriously,” Ball said. “I was naive enough to think my playing days would last forever. I would literally sit in the back of the room texting or being on Instagram not paying attention to the professional explaining to me about preparing for life after football and how important it is.”

Besides his alcohol problem, the running back also said that he made friends with “bad people” during his career.

“I failed to use my platform to help others and to use the NFL as a stepping stone in life,” Ball said. “I surrounded myself with bad people, not on the team but in the city. I was naïve enough to believe I had all the answers.”

According to Ball, his drinking problem started in 2011, just before his junior year at Wisconsin.

“I started to drink a lot more and it started to pour into football,” Ball said. “If I knew we had a super-easy practice the next day, I’d go out and get drunk with a whole bunch of people. I’d wake up drunk, hit the steam room and go to practice.”

The lowpoint for Ball came in February 2016 when he had to watch his former team win Super Bowl 50 from a Wisconsin jail cell. Ball, who as cut by the Broncos before the 2015 season started, was behind bars because he had been arrested on a felony battery charge just two days before the Super Bowl.

“It brought tears to my eyes,” Ball said of watching Denver win. “At one point, I was on top of the world and now watching the team that cut me a few months prior from a jail cell, that stung a lot.”

Back in August, Ball was sentenced to 60 days in jail after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct and and playing a role in two separate domestic abuse incidents.

In 2016, Ball learned that he was going to be a father for the first, time and that’s when he decided to take control of his life.

“That was the turning point,” Ball said. “I finally realized I have a purpose -- to raise that kid. That’s a responsibility I will take.”

The admitted alcoholic, who says he’s now sober, is returning to Wisconsin this summer to take classes at the school where he once dominated on the gridiron.

“I don’t want to whine or seek public pity,” Ball said. “But I do want to explain everything and give everybody some insight on what I’ve been battling.”

The 26-year-old finished his NFL career with 731 rushing yards and five touchdowns over two seasons with the Broncos.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/br...ut-of-the-nfl/

[-Rod-]

I read the original article interview yesterday. These are the parts that caught my attention:

http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news...medium=twitter

While breaking rushing records for the Badgers, Ball was setting himself up for failure to come. The heavy partying that began during his 2011 junior season didn’t stop after he became a Denver Broncos second-round draft pick two years later.

The boozing continued throughout his time in Denver and after his 2015 release.

Research by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism shows that children of alcoholics are at greater risk of developing the disease themselves.

That’s what began happening with Ball in 2011.

"I started to drink a lot more and it started to pour into football,” Ball said. "If I knew we had a super-easy practice the next day, I'd go out and get drunk with a whole bunch of people. I'd wake up drunk, hit the steam room and go to practice."

So, Montee Ball was having issues with drinking and partying since 2011 and Elway still drafted him in the 2nd round. That's a huge blunder by the front office and the scouting department.

NFL teams use so many resources and spend so much time scouting these prospects. How could the Broncos have gone through the draft process without knowing Ball had drinking problems? Or did they just ingore the fact? That's very concerning, especially considering how poorly the Broncos have drafted lately.

[qbronco]

I read the original article interview yesterday. These are the parts that caught my attention:

http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news...medium=twitter





So, Montee Ball was having issues with drinking and partying since 2011 and Elway still drafted him in the 2nd round. That's a huge blunder by the front office and the scouting department.

NFL teams use so many resources and spend so much time scouting these prospects. How could the Broncos have gone through the draft process without knowing Ball had drinking problems? Or did they just ingore the fact? That's very concerning, especially considering how poorly the Broncos have drafted lately.

Our scouting and drafting on the offensive side of the ball have been atrocious under Elway's watch. I hope this year is different. Maybe with the new coaches' input we will see improvement.

[MHOC]

Better not draft the FSU RB or it will be the same Thing if the reports are true

[TH3JUICEMAN]

I read the original article interview yesterday. These are the parts that caught my attention:

http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news...medium=twitter





So, Montee Ball was having issues with drinking and partying since 2011 and Elway still drafted him in the 2nd round. That's a huge blunder by the front office and the scouting department.

NFL teams use so many resources and spend so much time scouting these prospects. How could the Broncos have gone through the draft process without knowing Ball had drinking problems? Or did they just ingore the fact? That's very concerning, especially considering how poorly the Broncos have drafted lately.

1 in 4 college students meets the diagnostic criterion for a substance use disorder during their time in college. Alcohol and drug use are common place on campuses, unfortunately it's also the breeding ground for addiction.

Because of the social and cultural acceptance of substance use on campus' (right of passage), it's hard to identify problem use even in those that are showing early signs of addiction.

I'm just glad he's working on his recovery. Recovery is possible, I got sober almost 11 years ago on a college campus. Now I work on a college campus helping students struggling with substance use.

For every student I get the privelage of working with, there are hundreds more not getting help.

[Papa-pwn]

I read the original article interview yesterday. These are the parts that caught my attention:

http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news...medium=twitter




So, Montee Ball was having issues with drinking and partying since 2011 and Elway still drafted him in the 2nd round. That's a huge blunder by the front office and the scouting department.

NFL teams use so many resources and spend so much time scouting these prospects. How could the Broncos have gone through the draft process without knowing Ball had drinking problems? Or did they just ingore the fact? That's very concerning, especially considering how poorly the Broncos have drafted lately.

Eh..It would be more peculiar if any college football player wasn't getting drunk 4+ nights a week.

[Johnny Football]

I always thought that Montee Ball may have been cut a little bit prematurely, but after seeing his recent run ins with the law and his admitted alcoholism, it makes the situation a lot clearer.

During his rookie year (2013) I thought he was pretty impressive, especially down the stretch. He produced a bunch of good games and a lot of people were coming around on the pick crowning him the future running back going into the off-season. Then during that off-season with all of that optimism surrounding him, he came out and was pretty average for around 5 games, when he suffered a season ending injury. Then there was a coaching change at the end of the season and he failed to impress the incoming coach, Gary Kubiak enough to stay I guess. I also felt like he was the forgotten man when Kubiak arrived. He obviously struggled with something during this time, maybe with the playbook and that was why he wasn't able to move up the depth chart during training camp and get himself quality reps in the pre-season.

It's a very disappointing situation as a whole and a real waste of talent. I personally was a big fan of Montee Ball coming out of Wisconsin and I thought he was going to be a high quality running back who was deserving of a 2nd Round pick. Surely he could jump on someones 90 man roster for camp and at least be an extra body to take the workload of camp off of another running back, and get a chance to earn a roster spot in the process. I am sure he would do things much differently if he had another chance, he is only 26 years old and has had some time to realise his mistakes, and rest his body. I wouldn't mind seeing him back in Denver for training camp however the odds of that happening are slim to non.

[mozzerpete]

Glad he got his life turned around.

The irony of your post quenched my thirst for laughter.

[Dennis.1960]

His decline was sad as I was always very excited for his future career as a Bronco, but this explains a lot. The difference between an alcoholic and a drunk is an alcoholic admits they have a problem and seeks help. Best of luck for his recovery.