The turning point of Joe Namath's life was actually one of his most public moments.

The former Jets quarterback and 1969 Super Bowl MVP writes in his autobiography "All the Way: My Life in Four Quarters" that following his 2003 sideline interview with ESPN's Suzy Kolber, who he tried to kiss on-air, he began the process of getting sober.

"I saw it as a blessing in disguise," writes Namath, who admitted to being drunk during the interview. "I had embarrassed my friends and family and could not escape that feeling. I haven't had a drink since."

To combat his alcoholism, Namath has given the urge to drink a nickname: Slick.

"Every now and then Slick whispers, but having a name for him makes me listen to him differently," he wrote. "And, health-wise, I'd probably be dead by now if I hadn't stopped drinking.

Namath's partying habits began during his playing days, when he was a young superstar in a bustling metropolis.

"I was in my early 20s when this fame hit, living in one of the sexiest cities in the world," he says. "So it felt natural to turn toward it and not shy away. I enjoyed the company of ladies and, man, were there a lot of places servicing the singles crowd."

Around the turn of the century, Namath began seeing a therapist to deal with his addiction. However, he'd often end those visits by purchasing and consuming a pint of vodka. He eventually divorced in 2000, which heightened his drinking, culminating with the Kolber interview.

"That shame is where I found my strength to deal with the addiction," Namath wrote. "With the help of my recovery, I learned that I had used my divorce as an excuse to go back to drinking. That knowledge made me a stronger individual."

He also sought hyperbaric oxygen therapy in Florida to better his health.

Popular in the Community