Former Arkansas Razorback & Dallas Cowboy Darren McFadden reflects on battle with alcohol addiction
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – He’s a star on the football field and a household name for many in the Natural State.
Darren McFadden, or DMAC as many know him, won the hearts of Arkansans during his time as a Razorback, eventually going pro.
However, behind the accolades and applause, McFadden faced his battles. Challenges that not only tested his physical prowess but his inner strength.
“It’s not something I’m new to being around, it’s just something that I never thought would catch up to me pretty much,” McFadden said.
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On the football field, Darren McFadden may be fast, but the former Arkansas Razorback and pro football player finally met one opponent he couldn’t outrun.
“I’m used to being able to go train and do this for however my days, I can do that, but fighting this disease I knew it was a different animal,” McFadden said.
The two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up and two-time All-American recently opened up about his struggles with alcohol. What started as a daily habit turned into a full-blown addiction when he retired from the NFL in 2017.
“Being home, not having a lot to do, trying to figure out what to do next and nothing else was there. Alcohol was always there everywhere you turn,” McFadden said.
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Growing up in Little Rock, McFadden says substance abuse issues ran in his family, but it wasn’t something he knew how to talk about.
“Me as a man, you know, I’m like whatever problems I have, addiction struggles, I can handle it on my own I can take care of myself, but with this, that wasn’t the case,” McFadden said.
- Former Arkansas Razorback Darren McFadden
- Former Arkansas Razorback Darren McFadden
In 2023, after run-ins with the law and his family life spiraling, McFadden says he knew he needed to make a change.
“Looking back on that that was definitely my rock bottom right there. For the hurt I’ve seen them going through just from me being in the state I was in, that was pretty much rock bottom for me,” McFadden said.
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He entered an intensive outpatient treatment program, learning about the effects of alcohol on the body and how to open up about his struggles.
On May 18, he’ll celebrate one year of sobriety.
“I was in the kitchen just the other day and I told my wife, ‘I just feel happy right now. I’ve drunk so much during my life I never thought how it would feel without drinking and I just feel super happy right now,” McFadden said.
- Former Arkansas Razorback Darren McFadden
- Former Arkansas Razorback Darren McFadden
Today Darren is focused on helping others tackle their addictions.
“I’ve been an alcoholic. I know what it is. I know the hurt it causes you and your family,” McFadden said. “If can just tell somebody and bring them along and get them off of their boat that’s one of my main goals.”
McFadden was the keynote speaker at the Wolfe Street Foundation Red Carpet Gala in April, where he shared his recovery journey in a Q&A session with KARK’s Laura Monteverdi.
He resides in Dallas with his wife and is a father to six children and plans to move back to Little Rock eventually.
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