Personal and Professional Success Are Equally Important for Raiders' Crosby

"I just celebrated my fifth year. And it has been an incredible journey so far. It’s nothing short of a blessing but I look at it as an opportunity as well, to give back and to help kids going through what I went through. I was a teenager and a young adult, dealing with my addiction, and nobody knew what I was going through. It’s a disease. Unfortunately, it’s something that runs deep in my family and I knew since the day I took my first drink, I was obsessed and in love with it," Crosby said to Melinda Sheckells of The Town Magazine.

"That has been one of the hardest battles but it’s also been one of the most freeing things on the planet, because I know I have the willpower to be sober in a city like Las Vegas. Giving back helps me with my sobriety, helping kids out, showing them the way and showing them that [they’re] not alone.

"For me, I felt like I was alone for a long, long time, and I was lost, and I would just rely on a drink to make me happy and ultimately, it would lead to me being depressed and not happy with myself. It’s still an everyday battle. I take more pride in that than literally anything."

Crosby has spearheaded several causes off the field during his time in the league. The Maxx Crosby Foundation has spent years giving back to communities in various ways. As the face of the Raiders, Crosby noted the purpose and goals of his organization.

"We’re creating scholarships for kids to get into rehab, sober living. I also want to be in the community, not just writing a check but connecting with the youth. I feel so many people have impacted me but I’ve also had the opportunity to impact them and show them, like, ”listen, you’re not alone.” And that to me—that’s the biggest flex," Crosby said.

"People talk about football, [how] it’s my life, it’s my obsession, it’s my passion, but [so is] being able to help kids. You hear about somebody who has alcoholism and everyone’s like, “stay away from that.”

"But for me, when I got into rehab, I realized I’m not the only one and my rehab experience, my sober living experience, was one of the best times of my life. I was in there with some extremely successful people. It’s a one-day-at-a-time mindset, peeling back the onion and realizing the deep root of all the issues. I’m a constant work in progress."

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