Former Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis has revealed his struggle with opioid addiction, which he says impacted his personal life and career. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
Davis, who was named the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2014, publicly discussed his addiction for the first time on The Pivot Podcast. He said the addiction led to his divorce from his wife, Kelly, and sullied his once-pristine reputation.
The Associated Press found that prescriptions filled to feed Davis' addiction led to the downfall of Joan Rubinger, a self-styled healer who counted Davis among her dozens of high-profile pro-athlete clients.
"I live my life in a way that I wanted my kids to always be proud of me," Davis said on the podcast. "That was something that was extremely important to me. And some of the things that happened, it made it extremely hard for them to ever be proud of the man that I had started to become."
Davis, who came back from three torn ACLs in the same knee and played in the 2016 Super Bowl with a broken arm, said the painkillers he took for his injuries led to his addiction.
The Associated Press attempted to reach Davis for comment, but he did not respond to calls or texts. His representatives also declined to comment.