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Las Vegas Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby has lifted the lid on the turning point in his life. Having been open about his off-field struggles, the 25-year-old has been on the straight and narrow for a while now.
Seen as the star of the Raiders defense, Crosby has seen his name put up in lights in NFL circles, but in truth, it could have been vastly different had it not been for one night watching the UFC.
On "The Pivot Podcast" with Ryan Clark, Crosby detailed the night where he hit an all-time low and how that moment was the time he took control of his life.
"There was a UFC fight that night," Crosby said. "And I was like, 'I got tickets front row.' ... But I kind of knew deep down, like, I probably shouldn't go. And it was I was like I said, I was 10 days sober. I went to the UFC fight, had one drink and then it turned into, like, four or five days straight, until Scotty got there on Tuesday.
"So he basically kidnapped my a**, and I was, like, f***ed up. I woke up that morning, like, my body, like, physically, I was, like, just f**king dehydrated. Felt terrible. Like, the worst of the worst. Like, I felt like I was dying. So, like, it got that bad. And it just scary. Like, that shit is crazy. I never felt like that before.
"I looked in the mirror and, like, didn't even fucking recognize myself. So, that was that was where I got to the point, like, what am I doing? Like, this shit is not gonna last. And, yeah, it just kind of clicked for me at that moment."
Crobsy now an NFL star after overcoming issues
After being at rock bottom, the defensive end changed his life around and is now enjoying the fruits of his choice. Now a father to a baby girl and after signing a four-year, $94 million deal, Crosby is a star in the league.
The defensive end had a career-best year with the Raiders as he played all 17 regular-season games and totaled 12.5 sacks en route to his second consecutive Pro Bowl nod.
Now seen as a leader within the Raiders organization, Crosby, despite being only 25 years old, is one of the best players on the roster.
It didn't come easy, but now the defensive end has his life in order after his off-field issues and is now settled and enjoying life.
