The tweet Montee Ball sent was both shocking and wonderful.
Friday marked four years since the Denver Broncos won Super Bowl 50. The former Broncos running back said he watched his former team reach the pinnacle from a jail cell. He added that today he’s preparing a speech that he will share in front of 250 therapists who all work in the state of Wisconsin. He finished with some powerful words, “Rock bottom was not the end of my story. It was only the beginning.”
4 years ago today, I was sitting inside of a jail cell watching the Broncos win the Super bowl. Now today, I am preparing a speech that I will share in front of 250 therapists who all work in the state of WI. Rock bottom was not the end of my story. It was only the beginning.
— Montee Ball (@MonteeBall28) February 7, 2020
Ball joined Ryan Edwards and Benjamin Allbright on Broncos Country Tonight to discuss his road to recovery, his tweet, at what point things turned for him, his time with the Broncos and memories he has in Denver, and how to recognize issues with young people early on. It’s a remarkable interview.
“I’ve been very open about my story,” Ball told the guys. “It’s most definitely about addiction, mine being alcoholism. It’s a monster and addiction doesn’t discriminate. So like I said, I’ve been very open about it. And since I’ve struggled with it and had my incident, was landed in jail, I’ve been really focused on helping others by sharing my story speaking about life’s pitfalls. Sharing my story with the Boys & Girls Club, creating my own fund that specifically helps UW (University of Wisconsin) student-athletes. That being providing them with one-on-one counseling, mental-health education and really just focusing on different ways to raise awareness within the community of Madison around mental health.”
Simply put: This is awesome. What a remarkable story of recovery and giving back. Well done, Montee!
Bonus listen
I joined the guys to talk about Steve Awater’s induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, what it meant to so many people, and what this could mean for other Broncos who could get their place in Canton.