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    • Identity, Addiction & Life After Football with Montee Ball

    Guest: Montee Ball, Former NFL Running Back, Mental Health Advocate at Game Plan Life Foundation

    Hosts: Dr. Mark Allen & Dr. Tommy Horn

    Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of addiction, alcohol abuse, legal consequences, and mental health struggles. If you or someone you know needs help with substance abuse, contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 (available 24/7).

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    AI SUMMARY

    Episode Overview

    NFL mental health and post-career identity loss are at the heart of Montee Ball's story. In this powerful episode of the Peak Sports Psychiatry Podcast, Drs. Mark Allen and Tommy Horn sit down with Montee - former Denver Bronco, Wisconsin Badgers legend, Heisman finalist, and College Football Hall of Fame inductee - for one of the most candid conversations the show has ever recorded. Montee walks through the flow state of elite performance, the identity collapse that followed retirement from the NFL, his progression from social drinking into dependency and legal consequences, and the accountability, treatment, and fatherhood that anchor his 10+ years of recovery and athlete mental health advocacy through the Game Plan Life Foundation.

    Key Takeaways

  • • Identity Beyond the Game: What happens when the cheering stops - and how athletes can prepare for life after sports.
  • • Addiction & Denial: The progression from social drinking to dependency, and the denial that keeps athletes from seeking help.
  • • Accountability & Recovery: Taking responsibility for past actions and the daily work of maintaining over 10 years of sobriety.
  • • Fatherhood as Motivation: How becoming a dad changed everything and became a cornerstone of Montee's recovery journey.
  • • Mental Health Advocacy: Turning pain into purpose through community service and the Game Plan Life Foundation.
  • • Supporting Young Athletes: Why earlier intervention could change outcomes for countless athletes before they reach a breaking point.

    • Show Notes

    About Montee Ball

    Montee Ball is Former NFL Running Back, Mental Health Advocate at Game Plan Life Foundation.

    Topics Discussed

  • • Elite performance and the flow state in football
  • • Identity loss after retirement from professional sports
  • • Alcohol use, denial, and hitting rock bottom
  • • Legal consequences and taking accountability
  • • Treatment, recovery, and 10+ years of sobriety
  • • Fatherhood and rebuilding life with purpose
  • • Mental health advocacy in sports
  • • The Game Plan Life Foundation mission
  • • Breaking stigma in locker rooms
  • • Why performance and mental health are inseparable

    • Resources Mentioned

  • • Game Plan Life Foundation
  • • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
  • • SAMHSA National Helpline

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