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Parents & Addicts in Need’s Founder Flindt Andersen and Jason LaChance sat down with Baylor University graduate and award-winning 10-year veteran of the NFL who crawled on his hands and knees into treatment for an opioid addiction that developed while treating career-related injuries Randy Grimes. Randy spent 10 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We wanted to speak with Randy who recently published his autobiography Off Center, and is the founder of Pro Athletes in Recovery. Randy Grimes played in the era of the NFL in which he quickly learned one important truth as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ top draft pick: play through pain, or get cut.
In his professional career, football turned into a job.  The skill level increased dramatically in the NFL.  He first signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a second-round draft pick.  One of the main unspoken rules of the game was to do anything necessary to get back out on the field.  That turned into taking handfuls of pain pills at practice, eventually turning into a full-blown addiction.  He was also taking handfuls of Benzo’s at night, to make him sleep.
His prescription medication use eventually started to get out of control.  No one would question why he was slurring his speech, showing up late, and nodding off during meetings. He did his own research, and it turned out it was linked to the Benzo’s he was taking to go to sleep.  He knew he had a problem, but didn’t know how to deal with it.  His professional career ended in ’92 and was an unexpected and abrupt end to what he thought was going to be a lifetime career.  This compounded his addiction dramatically throughout the next decade.
He didn’t really fully deal with this issue until 18 years later, in 2009.  His wife moved out, his kids couldn’t stand him and was barred from seeing his newly born grandchild, because of his addiction.  He was sleeping on the floor of his vacant house with no utilities, no job, no car, no money.  This was the rock bottom that he built back up from.  He got into 90-day treatment on September 22nd, 2009.
Since then, he has focused on getting his story out there in hopes of changing other people’s lives for the better. Back when Randy was active in the NFL, there were no resources for addiction and treatment.   Because of this, Randy founded Athletes in Recovery, which focuses on other professional athletes that are struggling through the same things. Even through all the hardships, problems, and major championships during his stint in the NFL, tackling recovery was the toughest battle of his life.
For more on Randy Grimes
https://randygrimesspeaks.com/
https://proathletesinrecovery.org/
https://offcenterthebook.com/