MADISON (WKOW) -- Former Wisconsin Badgers running back, Montee Ball, is sharing a personal vice. Ball told Sporting News he started struggling with alcohol his junior year at the University of Wisconsin. The running back said by the time he reached the NFL he was getting drunk four times a week.
Ball was released by the Broncos in 2015 after the team drafted him in 2013. The New England Patriots signed Ball to their practice squad in 2015, but he was released after he was accused of domestic violence.
The former Badger star says, he wasn't good at listening to his coaches and mentors. Ball told Sporting News, "I wouldn't take any of it seriously. 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."
Ball was arrested on a felony battery charge in February 2016 in Madison. In August, he was sentenced to 60 days in jail for his role in two domestic abuse incidents.
He said his life changed when he learned last year from a past girlfriend that he was going to be a father. Ball said the birth of his son Maverick gave him purpose.
Alcoholism runs in his family, he says, but his therapist says he's made turnaround. Ball is now sober and enrolled in summer classes at UW Madison. He hopes to start a charity and write a book about his alcoholism.
For more on this story: http://www.wkow.com/story/35084289/2017/04/06/montee-ball-opens-up-about-his-alcoholism