Key Takeaways
College Football Hall of Famer Montee Ball is building a nonprofit focused on mental health and addiction coaching programs for young athletes
Ball’s Game Plan Life Foundation is hosting its first athlete mental health event on March 8 in Broomfield, Colo., with plans to go quarterly
Ball is lobbying for a Colorado bill that would require youth coaches to complete mental health training courses
He serves as a board member of 5280 High School, a project-based learning school for teens in recovery from substance abuse
More than 25 athlete mental health nonprofits now operate nationwide, per sports psychiatrist Dr. Mark Allen
From Record-Setting Career to Rock Bottom
Montee Ball rushed for 5,140 yards at Wisconsin, matched Barry Sanders’ NCAA single-season record of 39 touchdowns in 2011, and remains the only player in Rose Bowl history to rush for 100 yards in three consecutive appearances. The Denver Broncos drafted him in 2013.
But behind the production was a growing dependency on alcohol that Ball said he masked throughout his playing career. He described anxiety that started in college and escalated through his NFL years, with alcohol consumption reaching four to five nights per week during the season. Ball said he was spending nearly $1,000 every two weeks at a liquor store near his home during his time with the Broncos.
“No Room for Transparency” in Football Culture
Ball said the culture around football left no space for players to speak openly about mental health struggles. He feared losing his position and being perceived as weak. His former teammate, Wisconsin fullback Bradie Ewing, said he never noticed a red flag until Ball’s arrests became public. “He did a really good job of separating those two parts of his life,” Ewing said.
Ball was released by the Broncos in 2015 after the organization cited his alcohol dependency. In February 2016, he was arrested in Madison, Wis., following a physical altercation with an ex-partner. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and battery and served 60 days in jail and 18 months of probation. His last drink was in June 2016.
Building Guardrails at the Youth Level
Now 35 and based back in the Denver area, Ball runs the Game Plan Life Foundation, a nonprofit designed to educate coaches, administrators, and parents on mental health and addiction awareness for young athletes. The foundation’s first event, scheduled for March 8 in Broomfield, Colo., is an eight-hour seminar that the organization plans to offer quarterly and free of charge, funded entirely through the foundation.
Ball is also actively lobbying at the Colorado State Capitol for legislation that would mandate mental health training for youth coaches. His goal is to reach more than 1,000 coaches and administrators through these seminars over the next three years.
Dr. Mark Allen, a Denver-based sports psychiatrist who has worked with the Broncos, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the WWE, said starting mental health education at the youth level is the right long-term approach. Athletes who are empowered to speak up from a young age, Allen said, are more likely to feel comfortable being transparent as they grow older. Allen is currently writing a book with Ball about his journey.
Why Early Intervention Matters for the Youth Sports Industry
Ball’s work sits at a growing intersection of youth sports and athlete well-being. With more than 25 mental health nonprofits now serving athletes nationwide, the infrastructure is expanding. But Ball’s focus on coaches and parents, rather than athletes alone, reflects a shift toward systemic support at the grassroots level. For youth sports operators and administrators, the message is straightforward: mental health programming is becoming part of the baseline expectation.
Source: The Athletic, Christopher Kamrani, March 7, 2026
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