Joe Namath: Overcoming alcoholism, illegal college offers and playing through concussions

what about the 18 game regular season I'm a fan I want that I want the 18 game regular season you're looking at a guy that once played for the Jets and we had seven pre-season games seven and let me give you a good one Graham I was a rookie we were playing Houston Oilers and Alexandria Virginia in a preseason game my coach is Hall of Fame coach wee bu Bank he had coached the Baltimore Colt now he's the Jets coach well I'm standing next to coach Eubank on the sideline while we're playing this preseason game against the Oilers Our receiver Don Maynard who is a Hall of Fame guy you know he went on to be I mean he was Sensational Don just missed the pass out there went off his fingers a little bit and we stand on the sideline Don didn't give the effort Don that was an effort B get in there for Don so big Turner is going in Don mayor jogging off the field and we stand Don that's a bunch of stuff that wasn't 100% effort and Don just jogging by saying shoot coach what you want for $50 a game we were getting paid $50 a game for those six preseason games you think things haven't changed over the years so yeah football wasn't a year round activity for a lot of us more of my teammates they had to work in the off season many of my teammates worked during the season downtown wherever they'd work as insurance men or Wall Street cuz our coach we bu Bank believed in having practi close to game time so we didn't have to assemble at the stadium until noon each day my buddies were down there working I mean they they were working so the game's better today too for that aspect again these players are honing their skills on a year round basis they're getting subsidized for them to be able to live for a year off of their salaries as opposed to the game of yester year what do you make of the NFL enforcing the existing rules concerning hits I love it you love it oh absolutely I thought you might hate it considering how much you got beat up when you play I tell you I work with children too we use football to teach children about life how to accept responsibilities because the other boys counting on you or whatever but use that sport to teach them about life and I see youngsters getting hit I see them fall down I see licks them hit their head at times and when I look at the college and and professional especially professional licks that are put on these players I know that they're not all necessary I know they're not all necessary and we've seen a pullback in the NFL from the spearing from the guys launching into helpless players that are just there and getting hit players can change you know they can change their techniques they don't want to sure just because they've been doing it that way their whole lives doesn't mean they can't change and they need to change we need to keep this game as safe as we can even though once again these bodies weren't designed for it man and it's always going to be a hard game after practice you would often spend two to three hours brainstorming with coaches or studying film how did you find that most benefited you when I was a sophomore in college getting ready to start my first college game we were playing Georgia Coach Bryan took myself and other four quarterbacks out for a walk around the block like we did after the pregame meal each time I'm the youngest quarterback there right but I was starting as a sophomore so we're starting to walk along coach ran said yo you got the plan I said yes sir I think so he said you what you think so son it's time to know D's in the barn don't give me to stink so I said I know I yes sir I know that was the only time time I ever said I think so because after that I made sure I knew what we were doing I convinced myself I'd be ready for what that defense did and how to put our offense against it and I got prepared because it was an awful feeling answering that question you know yes I think so I think so there's no room for I think so business you either know or you don't and uh I learned just in that little walk to make sure I convince myself yes sir I know I was talking to somebody else close to you who said they could be watching in Alabama football game with you today and you could tell them what the Alabama defense is going to do before the play ever even happen so why do you think you're able to read defenses so well well most of the guys that's played the game can tell in a pre-nap look or so what to expect you might not always tell what they're going to do but you can tell from a look what they can't do Don mayard told me what he most respected about your game was appropriately your ability to anticipate where the receiver was going to be and always have the ball there what do you think enabled you to do that so well coaching learning it emphasizing it in practice uh yeah that that's important in today's game as good as they are there a lot of late passes thrown you see receivers open three three four five steps waiting on the ball more so than when you play you know what it is Graham in practice the quarterback can go full speed but it's hard for the receivers to go full speed week in and week out at practice it's hard for the running backs to really go full speed with the adrenaline not going through your system the urgency not there they're running at a Tempo that is like full speed but without any urgency or Tempo they're not as fast as they are in the game I I watch the game and I see so many balls thrown by quarterbacks that are underthrown not intentionally but are under Thorn that I figured that that's what it is when they work and they practice and practice they're not practicing at the same speed they're playing at in the game and so that ball that same throw you make in practice might be right there but in a game with the energy the urgency the adrenaline that receiver up there and the ball's behind him by that time somehow those receivers gain a step or so in speed when they get into the live action as opposed to practice which then makes it problematic for the quarterbacks since they were unable to practice at that speed well that's right but on the other hand you have guys like Manning and Brady that seem never you know sure right hey if I'd have recognize that whenever I was playing uh we would have uh tried to do more more with the timing of getting the ball out there in front but again you can't your receivers have taken a beat and they've been running every day you see and you can't get them to run full speed in practice might have a spraying ankle a partial pulling the hamstring or something so you're lucky if you can practice full speed in professional football I read uh in an article something you said which I found interesting you said quote it was strange coming out of high school and having colleges offer me as much money has my father made in a year what types of offers did you receive $6,000 a month at one point from a college on the new car every year really yeah my brother Frank when I shared it with him he just looked me in the eye and he said you going to go to work with some cheaters you're going to school you're going to go play ball with cheaters you know he put it that way and my dad was making 5100 at the meal you know I mean steel mills it was good work but there it just wasn't that kind of money but that uh it was family input again my brother Frank uh brought that business up about going to be a cheater I guess if they didn't want the money that bad then I I didn't need it you see that was the most important thing that conversation I had with my brother Frank who made you the offer I I wouldn't say that but it was more than one school how common was that then I don't know I didn't talk to everybody you know I don't know who all went through that I found it unique because it was a total surprise to me you know when the man took me outside of my house on 4th Avenue on Beaver Falls to come sit in the car with him and that's whenever he told me about the money in the car uh that's the first time I ever heard of it yeah it was like really gosh you know and uh after that it I guess it still goes on today to some extent you have uh various folks that want their universities to have great football teams and uh they know a lot of the kids coming to school don't have a dime or don't have a dollar how would you describe coach Bryant I would uh describe him as a friend as a mentor as uh a man uh that was stronger than me that I wish I could be like like him in a lot of ways he's a hard worker and he wasn't always right but uh he he wouldn't mind saying when he was wrong either you see the way he worked the way he demanded things out of his players uh it wasn't a democracy you know you had to do it his way his way was the best I mean he had proven that prior to coming to Alabama Texas A&M Kentucky you know Maryland so uh we believed in him and when I was a freshman there the varsity team won the National Championship so you know I'm all ears I'm believing them uh coach Brian had a way of getting more out of the gifted guys trying to get more out of the gifted guys and appreciating the guys when I say gifted coach Bryant appreciated effort boy he appreciated the guys that uh weren't as gifted athletically as some of the other guys but worked hard and he usually uh got on some of the guys myself included well I don't know I guess if you can jump on one of the better players back and bring him down to earth the other guys get the message too he's a great teacher the time you turned your back on Coach Bryant at practice what happened we were running an option right and just uh before I got hit I pitched the ball and it was a bad pitch the voice that I'm hearing now now name it not just your job to run the you get on the ball whatever and he screaming a little bit at so I get up off the ground and I'm walking back yep yep yep and about that time he had that face mask of mine in his hand and he had me jacked up he said boy when I talk to you you look me in the eye and say sir I said yes sir yes sir yes sir and I was on my toes by the way he's pulling that face mask up my senior year I could have been three football fields away if I heard Joe yes sir he had a way of getting players attention at that time I guess I wasn't man enough to be able to look him in the eye you know because uh I had foued up and I just didn't know about his communication techniques the time that he ended up suspending you from the team and you missed the sugar bow uh what happened there well I broke a training Rule and we had an off week week and that weekend of the off week someone had told him that I was uh downtown drunk directing traffic which was wrong and when coach briyan questioned me about this he said Joe now U I'm going to take your word on this he because I trust you I believe you I've got word though that you were downtown doing this and I no sir that's not true and then he said uh you didn't have anything to drink on Saturday well Saturday night I went to a fraternity party and I did have a drink a Seven and Seven that I didn't even finish cuz you know I I wasn't a drinker at that time and I'm not now but at that time but I did have a drink and when I said yes sir we were standing in a a room in the dormatory and there was a bed there we were both standing up and when I said yes sir he just said oh no no no and he fell back on the bed scared me I coach coach and he I'm all right I'm all right and uh when he sat back up and stood up he said well I'm going to have to suspend you he said but first i'm going to meet with the coaches we'll talk about this you come over to the office at 2:00 so I went over there to office and all the coaches were already standing out there in the foer when I walked in coach Bryant walked out and he said well we had a meeting some of these coaches think uh we should discipline you some other way he said that it's all right we can do that he said but if I don't suspend you now I won't be coaching here next year I'll retire and I was scared and embarrassed I said oh coach you know don't want you to do that like you know no and I didn't know whether he would or wouldn't but that's what he said and I said oh no sir no sir he said all right then you you you accept the suspension and once you moved out of the dorm you move over to another dorm and then you behave yourself for the next 4 months or whatever you can come out for spring practice I said oh yes sir thank you and that's what happened Super Bowl 3 the Colts the Jets I think you were what something like 7 to one underdogs unbelievable uh odds stacked against you but you knew that they were essentially wrong the odds what did you see well first of all we did hear how uh we were going to be beaten up badly by the Baltimore Colts the Colts were best looking team we'd seen uh up to that time well who cares no one these guys we know better the reason we knew better is you have that oneeyed monster the camera that you're looking at in studying the opponent and studying yourself up we would see things uh on film that we felt like we could deal with that we could handle that we could beat we had one of those offensive lines that uh over the last five games of the season I don't believe they committed a penalty or had a broken assignment we didn't hurt ourselves a great deal our defense was the best kept secret in the AFL I guess or in football cuz we had the number one defense in the AFL so so um we felt pretty good about our chances and when I was asked about it a couple of nights before the game uh it was uh my demeanor attitude uh was a confident one a fell in the back of the room said namoth you know we're going to kick your butt and I said wait a minute I got news for you buddy we're going to win the game I guarantee you and that was that until my coach heard I said that of course coach Eubank wasn't real Keen on that and my teammates weren't real Keen especially the offensive lineman what what feedback did you get whether it be from the coach or the teammates about the guarantee well first of all the feedback came from coach Eubank uh out on the field the next day with CLE Rush our offensive coordinator just the three of us had a conference and uh he was angry he was angry really he was angry Joe he said these guys over there they were so over confident they were so sure about themselves that well now they're going to be fired up and I said well coach if they need clippings to get fired up they are in trouble he said oh he said you shouldn't because they're going to get and and boy I guess it was my mischievous self or whatever but you know it wasn't serious business to me you said that game still brings back Goosebumps when you think about it what about the game gets the Goosebumps before the game when the captains had to walk out to the center of the field I kind of went all the way back to Beaver Falls Pennsylvania as a little boy remember watching Johnny Unitus on television remember watching these Baltimore Colt players and I'm walking with Johnny sample who had seen run a touchdown back on a kickoff in a championship game in the NFL it was like holy cow you know we're here and uh that was cool a New York Times Pitzer winning author wrote quote with one gesture he saved the Jets saved the AFL and set the wheels spinning along the road to merger your thoughts on that I'm thrilled that I was there with that team we did it you know but that's not about the team that's about you specifically that quote maybe it is uh specifically but I'm about team I wouldn't have done crap if I didn't have my Center up there or Boozer snail my teammates I wouldn't have even been a professional player if I didn't have coach Brian or Larry Bruno helping me along the way getting myself together it's a reality that life is a team effort to me see and I learned that through Sports without you do you think there would have been the AFL NFL merger without the AFL winning the Super Bowl there would have probably still come a merge but not the same way that it came and not the same way things were divided and split up on I mean El Davis of course uh who owns the Oakland Raiders he didn't want to merge at all he was happy the AFL was there now we can compete on our own with these guys but the other owners and he credits you too well hey I was a part of it he was a part of it uh and before me those other AFL guys that used to get those baskets checks at the end of the week I call them basketball cuz they bounce we had three original New York Titans on our team when we won the Super Bowl and that was so special to see where those guys came from from the Inception of That League to being Champions over the NFL because we weren't accepted by the players the coaches or the fans of football until we won we weren't accepted as equals the 68 AFL championship game at some point during the game you were at the bottom of a pile and you hurt your finger a little bit what happened well first in in the first quarter I got hit in the head whether it was the ground or somebody hit me where I saw gold and had uh I was discombobulated you know it worked out well we won and but that was a tough one because of the head injury and the the painful thing of the uh hand it was said Oakland was mean and they were tough when the finger was just dislocated I'm on the ground and I feel this pain and Dan Birdwell defensive tackle for the Raiders is jumping up and down right over here he Hey Joe look look look you broke your finger you broke your finger and I went oh no I turned my head it was third down anyway so now it was fourth so I ran off the field and gave it to the trainer Jeff sniger and he just got back and how bad the finger look well it's still kind of a little bit swollen I only looked at it one time that was that first glance on the field and it was pointing the wrong way I didn't have the nerve to look at it after that any reservations to going back out there on the field with the state of your head and everything that happened no there it was still a time that uh you played uh if you could there was no doubt uh had to try was going to do it yes in another uh jet Raiders game I think it's the same player Ben Davidson hits you with a cheap shot uh that leaves you I believe face down in the turf and by the time you finally get up you I think start walking towards the Raiders sideline presumably thinking it was your own how much pain were you in with that one well you know when you get your head hit uh you do see some different lights and it takes a while to get squared away again but uh on one of those licks uh I had a broken cheekbone it's one of the great pictures I've ever seen I I was doing some news work one time in sports and I go to the Oakland Raiders office and they had this wall of a 12T wide 20 foot high picture of Ben Davidson horizontal in the air with his forearm of me flying in this Direction with my helmet out here and my draw like that that's the picture they put up in their office in their foyer damn made me feel good about beating them then too when I saw that picture the 1969 Denver uh Jets game tackled Dave Costa nailed you helmet into your rib cage what do you recall it was beautiful it was absolutely one of the finest hits ever really I mean I was just picture perfect with form throwing that long ball downfield and he left the ground about three yards over there and he was horizontal and that helmet hit me in the solar plexus and my body bent over his helmet and he just carried me back to the ground and drove me in there just landed right there and it was a wonderful hit I couldn't breathe uh took a while but uh it didn't leave any lasting uh injury how's your body today great pretty good real good real good good you know I guess I could complain about a lot of things some little things and all but uh knowing how I feel and uh knowing uh how much more I have ahead of me uh I try to keep up with uh my instrument so to speak what pain if any do you have today that ties directly back into those football days none seriously none of them are real painful I've had some from time to time you know but uh they've not been debilitating I know guys that have that are worse off than I am football players and all uh I do have artificial knees and I I I I maintain some work on my neck and spine uh my shoulders have healed wrists have healed you know I've healed up well so uh I don't like to complain and I'll go back to my family you know they never never wanted to hear me complain I guess uh I know things could be worse you've had the opportunity and spent time with so many luminaries over the years after all I I think it was written that you were the biggest thing to hit New York since Babe Ruth and I was interested in just mentioning a few names and uh getting you to recall a memorable story from uh each individual the the first one would simply be uh Mickey Manel oh oh man first time I met Mickey man now you got to understand I love baseball but I'm in a in a Tavern just off First Avenue in 49th Street in Manhattan I knew the the night manager is running it so I'm over at the bar and we're talking and he says you Jo you like baseball don't you I said yeah he said did you ever meet Mickey man oh no man you kidding he said how about Whitey Ford I said oh I love that guy watch him pitch you know yeah no I've never met him he said how about Billy Martin do you ever meet Billy Martin I said no well he just took my arm and we walked over about 20t and the three of them are sitting in a booth there and he was buddies with them so they knew him he took me over there introduced me to him and sat me down and those guys uh uh I was a rookie at the time so they could have beaten me up pretty good verbally you know but they were such Stars I was I was really uh I couldn't believe that I'm sitting there with the real Mickey Mano and Whitey Ford and Billy Martin see I I watched baseball I like baseball and uh turned out uh those are three terrific guys uniquely uh different in each way but uh friends and whenever they had the Comm and go you know they were focused and it was great Whitey just as soft spoken and as sweet as could be you know and makee you that old Oklahoma what Texas and then Billy Martin we all know Billy was was uh filled with a lot of energy how about Johnny Carson oh boy Johnny uh you know it was like me or anybody else at times Johnny was the best you know the tonight's show and and uh how he worked that but uh I know Johnny away from work you know we used to visit occasionally groups of guys uh over at his apartment Mr Werblin and he again were tight and there were some parties over at his place or he'd come up to a couple of taverns that we'd hang out with and uh Johnny was just uh Johnny he was sweet you know he was nice except whenever we were drinking you know some guys drink and they get a little bit mean and tough and some guys uh stay mellow Johnny used to get tough really tough I saw him slap our linebacker one day at this party one night at this party in his apartment when Johnny tell you you think you're tough huh you think you're tough cuz you're a football player why Ralph stood there Ralph Baker thank God he uh he was our linebacker from Penn State Ralph did not react to whatever Bunch oh come on man let's come on and so everything cooled down after that and you know the next day or two Johnny was uh a little sad to that but uh sometimes when some of us uh had too many spirits in our body from the from the body we we don't behave in a way that uh we're proud of how was guest hosting the Tonight Show oh man I didn't know what I was getting into of course you know it's one thing to watch The Tonight Show or shows on television and then go sit behind the desk and uh be the person that's doing the interviewing I didn't even know what questions asked naturally Freddy the ctiv helped me out with those things and we were all prepared how are the nerves at that time for the show different certainly uh they were the kind I didn't like the nervousness because I didn't know if I was 100% prepared I wasn't convinced myself I knew I was in New Territory I knew that I I had no background in there I I just went along with the flow so uh the nerves uh were uncomfortable initially but once you get going it's all right anytime there's doubt uh that adrenaline Rush uh can be negative but when you're confident uh you can utilize it in a positive way how about Frank SRA oh boy first time I met him he called me broken knee broken knee broken knee Mrs uh Werblin and Mr Werblin the president of our team had been to dinner so they decided to take me over to jil's night spot and uh Jill Rizzo had a nightclub Tavern the best ribs in town there the second best ribs a couple of places my other buddy had good ribs too but uh we walk in the place and just sitting right here is Frank sinat and Jilly and I'm trailing Mr Werblin Mrs Werblin and they greet like they you know they were old friends I mean they were really old friends and uh Mr wman turns around to introduce me before that Mr Sinatra says Hey broken knee sit down here yeah you so it went on from there and I was you know I all ears you know I just couldn't believe where I was and over the years i' had the pleasure of meeting uh Barbara and being with Mr Sinatra and some other uh places and occasions sitting with Frank and Dino Dean Martin is a wonderful experience of you I loved working with him and visiting with him that was uh part of my life life that I never dreamt I'd experience being able to meet these people that I had watched over the years and finding out how genuine so many of them were how about Elvis Presley boy one of the highlights in my life uh Elvis was performing in Las Vegas big fan of yours oh I was a big fan of his you know that and uh was lucky enough to go backstage well I had my father with me and uh my dad and I went backstage and they let us into Elvis His dressing room and there's Elvis and a couple other people well I had met Elvis prior to that so I'm introducing Elvis to my father and I tell you he made my dad feel so good Mr name with this Mr name at that come here sir sit down sat down on the couch with him he and my dad talk must have talked 15 20 minutes just to to it was wonderful it was wonderful if it were possible if it's possible I became even a big bigger fan of his how about when Muhammad Ali was on one of the greatest times ever with George seagull I might add and uh he may it was uncomfortable wasn't it or no it turned out to be uncomfortable because uh Muhammad was going through the military uh situation um on uh because of his religion U refusing to do battle of course would you Justified and uh uh George had just finished a movie where there's a nude scene in it and so we're talking uh doing the show I don't know whether it was Dick or myself that asked George about the nude scene and so George is talking about well we're doing this B B B and I'm looking and H Muhammad's very quiet very quiet so uh dick asks Muhammad something about about this and and Muhammad says wait a minute I'm a Muslim Minister and you're talking about nudity and sex here and at that point Yeah well yeah let's take a break folks we'll come right back to you you know the 1966 Sports Illustrated feature that was done on you and I'm sure you've read this before but it goes uh it is Joe Willie namoth at play relaxing night timing the boss mover studying defensive Tendencies of New York's off-duty secretary stees dancers nurses uh Playboy bunnies actresses shop girls all of who make life stimulating for a bachelor he poses a question for us all would you rather be young single Rich famous talented and happy or president you remember reading that uh I think I remember who wrote it and uh I actually became a little hostile with him because we weren't we didn't know he was doing an interview okay and we started out over at uh oh boy anyway we started out on 51st Street or so and uh went to another joint Dan Jenkins was it that wrote that maybe I believe so and I was taken back by it because I didn't realize that this was going to appear in print the things we were discussing and in Sports Illustrated of all Publications right you know just didn't know at the time and so I learned uh I I had some hostility there for a while but I know resentment is not healthy so I've been able to shake all of that for the most yeah all of it uh but at that time I was really upset man I couldn't believe that this guy was writing all this stuff you know we don't talk that way to people he he put a quote in there that you said I don't like to date so much as I just kind of you know run into something well it's making plans at that time you know locking yourself into a situation without certainly with the lady without having a love uh working for the two of you uh no plus foot you know I had work to do I never knew when I was going out or I wasn't going out at night you know I had to get things done first and usually I'd come home after practice and get the film work finished and uh then I'd go out because once again we didn't have to be at the stadium till noon the next day so even with 8 hours sleep you know uh you could spend a pretty good bit of the night out and about sure um I mean you're Joe nameth the biggest thing to hit New York since Babe Ruth there stories of uh you know you walking through places and girls sitting with MC Jagger in the Rolling Stones and getting up to uh leave with you and your friends to what extent I mean was it that time where you know you could basically walk into a place and sit down and that was as much effort as you'd have to make to according girls it it you almost start accepting it you almost start thinking that's the way things are now you know this is the way it is uh it was a different lifestyle certainly totally different and I felt like as long as I did my job that the rest of it the off of field activities and things as long as it came after my work that I should enjoy the life that I was living and uh so I I I did get out in the belt I was a healthy young man that uh appreciated a company of the opposite sex and um a good meal and so and I wasn't locked in see I I hadn't committed to a lady I'd never lived with a lady and didn't have that kind of relationship so uh I was uh free to get out in the out Mike bite told me a story about what just one time the only instance he can recall where uh the girl might not have been as attractive as you initially thought and uh for this was pre uh first season in the professional football and you were supposed to go up to spend time with the owner Sunny story didn't end up making it tell the night before she looked great but that next day uh she was a different girl you know somehow our eyesight can get a bit filed up uh whenever I guess we they don't get enough sleep or if we're drinking we drink too much you know somehow but that was awful that was an awful experience that uh we didn't know how to handle we're too embarrassed didn't want to make the lady feel uncomfortable but certainly didn't want to take her where we were going uh and how did you work it out it was clumsy we kept getting lost kept getting lost didn't know where we were going we were going to drive down to Mammoth racetrack from New York now here's Mike from Birmingham Alabama and me from Beaver Falls then Alabama we didn't know where we were going so it wasn't too hard getting lost right we ended up spending hours on the road then back to Manhattan how often would there be drinking partying the night before a game um unless it was with the uh owners or with the team there wasn't that kind of thing at a home game I'd go out to dinner or so but there wasn't any partying now uh when you talk about drinking um three or four drinks you know that that was not abnormal I mean I'm not talking about going out and getting drunk the night before a game okay maybe we did sometimes too I it's my memory again that gets me but it would be uncom to be drunk or hung over on an actual game day absolutely it's absolutely uncommon to what extent does it bother you that there are stories out there about that that it's kind of people view that as part of your Legend when in reality you know as you're saying it's not as much the case well no I'm I'm not saying it didn't happen from time to time I'm just saying it wasn't an issue and it wasn't uh influential on our physical conditioning at the time at least we didn't think it was we didn't know how was your diet back then I don't think any of us ever thought about what was in the food we were eating because on Game Day we'd have our pregame meals and all I'd have is coffee maybe a piece of toast and then Chew in the back of really I was a guy to carried the salt shaker in the back pocket when we went out on the apples on the radishes on the watermelon you name it man salt was wonderful no one knew about the proper diets for athletes back then they thought they did but they didn't we didn't know about how to get the body strong through weightlifting without getting tightened up so professional football players didn't lift weights until the 70s uh there were things we didn't know and we're glad that they found out for sure I know guys that have had drink problems that uh never gave it a thought because it was like a regular routine and then the next thing you know it is a routine and you're doing it every day and uh it starts to control your life and destroy it so you have to find uh the strength to shift gears when did you realize you wanted to stop drinking altogether when my wife uh told me I needed to when my daughter Jessica was just about a year old I made made a deal with my wife at the time that if I didn't stop on my own I would check into a rehab place well I was so terrified of a rehab place and what the consequences of notoriety in a rehab place might bring or feel like that I knew I wasn't going to drink and I was able to stop drinking uh and stay sober for 13 years I was after getting an education this last time I was I learned I was what you call dry drunk without the education and understanding alcohol and understanding the system physically and emotionally and just quitting with the strength and determination that's a called a dry drunk you do need support when I did uh get an education uh it was uh joyful because uh not only did it help me spiritually I saw people that I didn't want to end up like I believe their stories their help you know and telling me what they're telling me and uh it's a matter of uh shifting gears and uh carrying fear I still have a fear for what that stuff does to me and what it could do to me so uh every day I'm thankful and I do say my little prayer to whatever God uh I choose my God and it helps it helps what's involved with ultimately overcoming the problem the addiction well I think sugar has a lot to do with it for one thing there's a whole lot of sugar in there too and if you come if you're constantly getting a certain amount of sugar that could be part of it but I I I think uh to me it was mental it was emotional and uh somewhat of an escape being able to shed responsibilities or being on stage as an athlete as a ball player and just W to say forget it let me you know and that was a way of escaping some what advice would you have for somebody who may be watching who wants to stop drinking but is unable to stop get some help go see someone uh with Alcoholics Anonymous you've got to want to do it uh understand about it understand what it is and ask for help you know it's it's like uh you ask God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference those three things that you know every day that comes to mind and it's uh solid it's good if you can get through the physical part of it uh what withdrawals they might be there might be or what withdrawals you think there are uh it becomes an attitude I always think of the down times how it made me feel how I fouled up everything I ever did in my life it seemed that I was really screwy and wrong about I had some kind of alcohol input and so uh I I know I'm a slow learner but by God I've learned really a pleasure sir I enjoyed it

Channel: Graham Bensinger

Views: 150,166

Keywords: Graham Bensinger, In Depth with Graham Bensinger, Sports Interview, Feature Interview, Sports Journalism, outube.com/watch?v=mx9UDLQmgG0 KEYWORDS: Joe Namath Bear Bryant, Bear Bryant, Bear Bryant Alabama, Joe Namath Alabama, University of Alabama, game preparation, game prep, quarterback practice

Id: 1sCnGziNJfs

Length: 43min 15sec (2595 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 08 2024