Darren Gralon McFadden
Growing up in Little Rock, Darren McFadden realized his dream to play Razorback football, receiving All-American honors and later playing in the NFL. When he retired, his alcohol habit became an addiction from which he is ‘freshly in recovery,’ and unafraid to share his story to give others hope.
Darren McFadden has proved that his courage doesn’t show just on the football field — it also appears when he stands before a crowd and admits he has a problem. McFadden is a two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up, two-time All-American and the Arkansas Razorbacks’ all-time leading rusher with 4,590 yards. After four years at Arkansas, he entered the 2008 NFL Draft and was selected in the first round by the Oakland Raiders. He retired in 2017, ending his football career after three seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.
He also is an alcoholic and while he is getting close to the one-year anniversary of when he quit drinking — May 18 — he says he is “freshly in recovery.”
McFadden will share his battle with alcoholism at the Wolfe Street Foundation Red Carpet Recovery Gala on April 25 at the Venue at Westwind where he will participate in a question-and-answer session with Laura Monteverdi, anchor at KARK, Channel 4.
McFadden admits it takes courage to talk about his shortcomings, but he thinks it’s important that others hear his message.
“If I didn’t speak out about it, a lot of people would just think he’s Darren McFadden. He’s a great football player. He’s lived this unscathed life, but that’s not the case. I’ve had my dark days when it comes to dealing with alcohol and that’s something that a lot of people didn’t know about.
“I feel like, for myself, being able to open up about it actually helps a lot of people. If this big All-American football guy who struggled with alcohol could kick it, then maybe they can too.”
McFadden says he first started drinking when he was 15. He says from ages 15 to 31, he considered himself to be a moderate drinker who had a few drinks on the weekend. But when he retired, things changed.
“I guess boredom kind of set in on me and alcohol was my friend, and it accompanied a lot of my time and from there it was just a downhill spiral for me,” says McFadden, who lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Growing up in Little Rock as the 10th of 12 children, McFadden says he knew a lot of alcoholics and drug abusers.
“I grew up on the side of town where people hear of the not-so-good things about Little Rock. Growing up, I had family members who were addicts and alcoholics. I had brothers that were gang members. I’ve seen a lot of things growing up.”
One of his childhood dreams was playing football at the University of Arkansas.
“I always told people I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do in life, but I knew what I didn’t want to do and that was not to do the things that I saw growing up around me,” he says. “Getting to the University of Arkansas, that was like a lifelong accomplishment for me.”
In Fayetteville, he quickly became the idol of many Hog fans — especially kids — who wore Razorback red jerseys sporting the number 5 — his jersey number.
NO MORE DRUNK DAD
Now McFadden has six children of his own. He and his wife, Tita, have two daughters and one son. He also has three older boys from previous relationships. His children range in age from 2 to 16.
“I grew up in an environment where
alcohol was around, drugs were around, and I’ve seen a lot of it growing up. … I feel like it takes a toll on your kids. Them seeing their dad, you know, seeing him. He is here, but he is really not here. It’s just the drunk dad, basically,” he says.
“Having three young kids at home, I don’t want them to see that. Every day they are growing up and that definitely helps me get to where I am now.”
He and Tita met at a party. She didn’t know who he was or anything about him. While he found her attractive, he was even more enchanted that she just liked him — not him as Darren McFadden, the professional football player.
The McFaddens celebrated their 10th anniversary on Friday. He says she has stood by his side during the hard times like in 2019 when he was arrested for driving while intoxicated in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
He was found asleep at the wheel in a fast food drive-thru line. The incident was filmed by a bystander and blasted across the internet. He was sentenced to serve four days in jail.
Then in 2023, McFadden says he had “another run-in with the law.”
“My wife has been my backbone but she was to the point where she was getting tired of it. … I was to the point where I had to choose alcohol or choose my family. And you know, that was a no-brainer for me,” McFadden says.
“I know she was very disappointed in me when I did have my run-in with the police and then to have it happen again. It was something she was very disappointed in but she still supported me. She’s going to stand by me, and I was going to take the steps to getting clean and being a sober husband.”
Last year, McFadden checked into a hotel and spent several days with professionals who helped wean him off alcohol. He then entered an intensive outpatient program where he learned about alcohol and the effects it had on his body.
“I am probably the most healthy I have been in my life, even with playing football and working out as much as I did — just being present for my family and not just looking forward to alcohol.”
But it wasn’t always easy and he admits he has tried — and failed — to kick alcohol in the past.
“It was scary for me at first. I didn’t know what to do or how to do things without alcohol. I feel like alcohol was a big part of my life,” he says. “Whatever I did I would always have a drink here or there, whatever it was, and over time I learned that alcohol is not everything that I thought it was, and I can go about my daily life and hang out with friends or go out and get something to eat or do my normal things that I normally do involving alcohol. I could do it without it.”
SPORTS LEGEND
McFadden decided to share his story with an audience after he was contacted by David Bazzel, a host on the “Morning Mayhem” show on KABZ, 103.7 — the Buzz. McFadden had written about his problem with alcohol on a social media account, and Bazzel asked to interview him on the show.
“You could argue that he is the greatest football player to ever play [at Arkansas] and that is saying a lot because they’ve had 100-plus years of football history up there,” says Bazzel, who came to Arkansas at age 17 to play football for the Razorbacks. “We’ve never had a Heisman finalist. … He actually should have won it one year.
“I played against Bo Jackson who many considered maybe one of the greatest athletes to ever walk the planet, and he is cut in that kind of mold. … He was physically just unstoppable and dominated in college.”
Bazzel added that McFadden is a “good guy” who made some poor decisions.
“He’s a solid guy who achieved success at the highest level. And at the same time I think he is still a humble guy,” Bazzel says. “If you listen to him, he’s a humble guy. He’s a competent guy, and he is appreciative of what he has achieved, and he doesn’t have a big ego.”
Wally Hall, managing sports editor and columnist at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, also thinks McFadden deserved the Heisman Trophy.
“I’ve been covering the Razorbacks for 43 years and he’s the best to ever wear a Razorback uniform that I’ve seen,” Hall says. “He could have played on either side of the ball. He could have played safety, he could have played quarterback, and he was tough.
“He would make that corner and look up and see a linebacker, and he would just take him on, head to head. He was just a super football player,” Hall says. “Finishing runner-up for the Heisman Trophy was an honor, but the truth is he should have won.”
Craig O’Neill covered McFadden during his days at the sports department at KTHV, Channel 11.
“He reinvigorated Razorback football because every time he got the ball, the excitement level doubled, even if the run went nowhere,” O’Neill says. “The anticipation level that it could go somewhere invigorated an entire stadium full of Razorback fans. Even if you are not a Razorback fan, there are players in history who every time they touch the football, you expect something incredible, and you usually got it with Darren McFadden.”
SHARING HIS STORY
When Bazzel contacted him, McFadden said he initially didn’t want to put his alcohol addiction out there.
“I was hesitant about it because I am very private about the things that I do in my life, but I just felt like it would be a great opportunity for me to be able to speak about it and reach people who think they are struggling alone in their situation when it comes to alcoholism or any other addiction,” McFadden says.
“I just want them to hear it from someone like myself. I think people will really listen to that. They’ve always known Darren McFadden the football player but nobody knows the internal struggle that I have dealt with and just being able to reach out and let people know it’s OK to reach out for help.”
The Wolfe Street Foundation began in 1982 as a haven for sobriety. Originally located in an old funeral home on Wolfe Street, the foundation moved to its current location at 1015 S. Louisiana St. in 2007. The facility hosts 12-step meetings like Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Al-Anon Family Groups. One-to-one peer recovery support services also are available. Justin Buck, executive director of Wolfe Street, says the foundation usually looks for a well-known person who has a connection to drug or alcohol abuse to speak at the event.
“This is a problem that affects everyone. Every family is touched in some way by addiction or alcoholism or what we now call substance use disorders,” Buck says. “No matter where you come from or what your life experiences are, anyone could be affected by these issues.”
LOOKING AHEAD
McFadden currently describes himself as a stay-athome dad but says he might like to someday have a second career.
“Right now I am basically home with my kids. … Just being able to be here and be present for them is a great joy for me,” he says. “I tell people I missed a lot with my older boys because I was playing football and always on the go and being able to be home with my younger children — just spending time with them and seeing the daily changes in their lives is something that is great. It’s just a joy for me.”
He’s not sure about what he wants for his professional future but thinks coaching or mentoring players might be a possibility.
“People always ask me about coaching and things like that. But I tell them the coaching hours and the playing hours are kind of tit-fortat.” He says coaching could involve up to 16 to 17 hours a day.
“That’s not something that I am ready to do right now at this point,” he says. “I enjoy being able to spend time with the kids and being able to get up and go at free will and not being tied down to a strict schedule.”
One thing McFadden knows is he eventually wants to make Arkansas his home again.
“I tell people I’m Arkansas through and through. I have tattoos on my body that represent Arkansas, the city of Little Rock and my 501 area code. Growing up and being able to go hunting and fishing are some things I loved to do and still do to this day,” he says.
“I feel like there is no other place for me other than Arkansas, and my end goal is to eventually move back to Arkansas at some point.”
He makes frequent trips back to his home state. For instance, he was in Arkansas in mid-February to hunt rabbits.
“My dad grew up hunting and fishing and that’s something that just trickled down to me. Once I got into it, I loved it. It’s something that I enjoy doing. You get out there and watch your dogs hunt and look for the rabbit. You are out there with family and friends and just having a good time.
“I am pretty much a country boy. Even though I grew up in the city, I feel like the country is in me.”
When he looks to the future, McFadden hopes that by the time he is 50 he will be retired again and will be able to “sit out on my porch and look out and see just as far as you can see with just woods and woods and having dogs and family members around and being able to hunt and fish at will. That’s something I really enjoy. It’s a big part of my life, and I want to continue doing that as long as I can.”
For others struggling with addiction, McFadden says he wants them to understand “you are not in this alone. It’s OK to talk to other people about it. Don’t be embarrassed about it. … It’s not something to be embarrassed about. You just have to take the right steps and try to correct it.”