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From Record-Breaking Running Back to Rock Bottom — Montee Ball’s Comeback

December 9, 2025

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  • Montee Ball's descent into addiction began in college, strengthening during his best on-field year (2011) when he tied Barry Sanders' touchdown record, highlighting a severe disconnect between professional success and personal struggle. 
  • Ball lost everything, including his NFL career with the Denver Broncos, following an incident where he aggressively shoved his partner, leading to his arrest and the realization of the depth of his addiction. 
  • Ball found his new purpose in recovery by adopting a 'heart of a servant' mentality, which he believes is the key to effectively helping others overcome addiction, contrasting sharply with his previous self-centered focus. 
  • The profound, life-altering realization of true love experienced upon becoming a father served as a critical turning point for Montee Ball in maintaining his sobriety. 
  • Montee Ball's current mission of helping others recover from addiction provides him with self-esteem that surpasses his achievements in professional football. 
  • The philosophy of continuous improvement, encapsulated by the quote, "We do them over and over and over again until we can't get them wrong," is a core principle Montee applies to his recovery work, referencing coaching wisdom. 

Segments

College Recruitment Choices
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(00:01:14)
  • Key Takeaway: Montee Ball chose the University of Wisconsin over Stanford because he preferred to remain closer to home in the Midwest.
  • Summary: Montee Ball received Fulbright scholarships and narrowed his college choices down to Iowa, Wisconsin, and Stanford, ultimately selecting Wisconsin. He felt Stanford was too far from the Midwest at that time. He recalls Jim Harbaugh calling his house line during the recruitment process.
NFL Draft Shock and Preparation
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(00:02:29)
  • Key Takeaway: Ball was shocked to be drafted in the second round despite having two phenomenal college seasons, partly due to a deep running back class that year.
  • Summary: Ball decided to stay for his senior year at Wisconsin in 2012 after a strong 2011 season where he was up for the Heisman Trophy alongside Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck. His agent prepared him by noting the deep running back class, including Eddie Lacey and L’Avion Bell, leading Ball to anticipate being drafted outside the first round. He learned he was drafted by the Denver Broncos when John Elway called him.
Playing with NFL Legends
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(00:07:26)
  • Key Takeaway: Peyton Manning immediately reached out via text after the draft, expressing excitement to win a championship with Ball, which left the 22-year-old starstruck.
  • Summary: Ball was starstruck upon reporting to the Broncos facility, especially meeting Peyton Manning, Von Miller, and Chris Harris. Manning sent a long text congratulating him and looking forward to winning a championship together. Ball admitted he was so starstruck he told Manning he used to play against him on Madden when he was 11 or 12.
Quarterback Comparison
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(00:11:09)
  • Key Takeaway: While Ball was grateful to play with Peyton Manning, he would choose Tom Brady if building a team due to Brady’s ability to make players comfortable and his killer instinct.
  • Summary: Ball played briefly with Tom Brady on the Patriots, where he roomed with former college teammate James White. He describes Manning as an absolute genius pre-snap, making it stressful to keep up with his mind. However, Ball ultimately selects Brady because Brady excels at telling players not to play outside their skill set.
Losing Everything to Addiction
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(00:14:47)
  • Key Takeaway: Ball’s addiction escalated during his best college year and continued into the NFL, leading him to decline calls from teams like the Jets and Bears while drinking heavily after being released in 2015.
  • Summary: Ball attributes his downfall to performance anxiety and using alcohol as an outlet, which intensified during his best college season in 2011. After playing in the Super Bowl his rookie year, a groin tear in year two accelerated his decline, leading to his release in 2015. During this time, he drank heavily, declined calls from NFL teams, and began to resent others instead of facing his own actions.
The Defining Mistake and Aftermath
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(00:19:51)
  • Key Takeaway: Ball’s addiction culminated in a physical altercation with his partner, resulting in her injury and his arrest, which he states was the moment he lost everything.
  • Summary: While drunk and arguing with his partner after leaving an open bar, Ball aggressively shoved her, causing her to injure her leg on a desk. He then cowardly left the hotel and was subsequently arrested by the police. Ball confirms he is no longer with the woman, though they made amends years later.
Recovery and New Purpose
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(00:23:26)
  • Key Takeaway: Ball realized his true path was not the NFL but helping others in recovery, a mission that brought him fulfillment far exceeding any athletic achievement.
  • Summary: Ball credits his current success in helping others to a spiritual shift that redirected him from his dream of a ‘gold jacket’ to serving others. He learned that focusing on solving other people’s problems prevents dwelling on his own past mistakes. He emphasizes that his current work, helping people get their lives back, is better than any touchdown he ever scored.
The 10-Year Sobriety Milestone
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(00:36:46)
  • Key Takeaway: Ball was told by a friend that reaching ten years of sobriety initiates a ‘rocket ship’ phase where the world significantly changes for the better.
  • Summary: Ball believes sobriety is not a gift unless it leads to a life more valuable than the one involving substance use, which requires continuous work. He is approaching ten years sober and learned that this milestone is considered a major turning point where positive life changes accelerate dramatically.
Business Philosophy and Team Building
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(00:41:09)
  • Key Takeaway: Richard Taite’s business philosophy prioritizes hiring individuals based on their ’love’ and commitment to service over pedigree, coaching them into expertise.
  • Summary: Taite recounts the difficult process of launching his new venture after 31 key employees left his previous company to join him. He hires people based on their loving nature and commitment to service, believing this foundation is crucial when dealing with clients full of shame. He states that if he cannot lead with love, he is useless in his role.
Accountability and Saban’s Philosophy
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(01:02:11)
  • Key Takeaway: True leadership requires leading with love, as people under the influence can immediately discern inauthenticity.
  • Summary: Authenticity and leading with love are crucial because others can easily see through insincere intentions. Montee Ball emphasizes that sharing accomplishments should stem from pride in achievement, not from a desire to brag. He quotes a principle, attributed to Coach Saban, that success requires repetition until mistakes are impossible: “We do them over and over and over again until we can’t get them wrong.”
Mission and Future Impact
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(01:03:56)
  • Key Takeaway: Montee Ball is committed to continuing his mission of helping others recover from addiction, viewing this work as superior to his past football success.
  • Summary: Montee Ball is ready to accelerate his efforts, stating, “I’m not done yet, Richard,” regarding helping more people. The greatest rewards come from witnessing others reclaim their lives, such as parents getting children back or spouses reuniting. This work builds his self-esteem because he feels incapable of achieving similar positive impact through any other means.
Self-Forgiveness and Perspective
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(01:06:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Judging others based on their worst day is unproductive, and individuals must stop mourning unchangeable past mistakes to move forward.
  • Summary: The host asserts that people should not be judged based on their lowest moments, citing Michael Vick’s comeback as an example. Montee Ball realized that continually reliving past painful moments prevents healing, as the past cannot be changed. He acknowledges the courage required to face rooms where people hold preconceived negative notions about him.
Local City Improvement Efforts
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(01:08:40)
  • Key Takeaway: Local political figures, specifically Tracy Park and Nathan Hawkman, are actively working to clean up crime and improve the city environment.
  • Summary: Montee Ball expresses a commitment to helping veterans and others off the streets by putting them into treatment within his city. He notes that the city has become difficult, but praises Councilperson Tracy Park and District Attorney Nathan Hawkman for cleaning up gang activity and crime. The host affirms his dedication to his family and community by working around the clock.
NFL Career Reflection and Son’s Birth
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(01:10:47)
  • Key Takeaway: Montee Ball views his current life as a better man as significantly more valuable than his brief time as an NFL player, even alongside legends like Peyton Manning.
  • Summary: Montee Ball humorously contrasts his current standing with his past, noting that former teammates like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady might avoid him now, whereas he once shared a locker room with them. He is grateful his self-diagnostic check on his relationship with alcohol occurred in his 20s. His son, Maverick, was born in April 2016, shortly after Montee was arrested in February 2016.
Fatherhood as Sobriety Catalyst
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(01:15:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Holding his newborn son provided Montee Ball with an immediate, non-negotiable commitment to never touch alcohol again, solidifying his recovery.
  • Summary: Montee Ball vowed never to touch the bottle again the moment he held his son, Maverick, despite the fact that his sobriety journey was not instantly fixed by this event. The host shares a parallel experience where the birth of his daughter eliminated his mental reservation about returning to substance abuse later in life. The truth discovered is that one does not know real love until having a child, which provided the necessary tools to address performance anxiety outside of football.
Grief and Amends for Past Actions
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(01:19:02)
  • Key Takeaway: The ripple effect of losing a child is devastating, but Montee Ball’s current life of service and amends effectively erases the impact of his past negative actions.
  • Summary: Montee Ball shares the tragic story of his great-aunt’s son, Brian, who passed away four years prior, illustrating the severe ripple effect of loss on families. The host reassures Montee that every bad thing he has ever done has been erased by his current commitment to living a good life, being a good father, and giving people back their families. Montee is encouraged that his life from this moment forward will be a blessing.