New England Patriots

Former Broncos RB Montee Ball admits he didn’t take his NFL career seriously

Published Apr. 6, 2017 1:40 p.m. ET

Cameron DaSilva

Montee Ball was a big-time prospect out of Wisconsin. He once set the NCAA record for career rushing touchdowns, and was eventually taken in the second round of the 2013 draft. Unfortunately, he’s been out of the league for a few years now as a result of off-field incidents.

One of the main reasons his career has been cut short was alcoholism. Ball opened up about his issues to Sporting News, saying he used to get drunk four times a week.

"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."

"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.