Today’s Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy<doc-sep>Joe Namath stopped drinking after his incredibly awkward and weird interview with Suzy Kolber. During a Jets game back in 2003, Namath said he wanted to kiss Kolber during one of the worst interviews ever given in the history of sports. That was enough for him to give up drinking. (SLIDESHOW: These Are The Hottest Women On Instagram) “I saw it as a blessing in disguise. I had embarrassed my friends and family and could not escape that feeling. I haven’t had a drink since,” Namath told ESPN when discussing the infamous interview the infamous 2003 interview. The legendary Alabama and Super Bowl winning quarterback also wrote in his new book “All the Way: My Life in Four Quarters” that he’d “probably be dead” if he didn’t quit. This also isn’t the first time Namath has opened up about his struggles with addiction. He gave an interview to Graham Bensinger a couple years ago, and it’s absolutely worth watching. You never want to see anybody struggle with addiction. It’s an awful thing, and hitting the bottle too hard can ruin your life. Luckily for Namath, all he did was embarrass himself in front of the entire country, but he was able to kick it before long term issues were created. Some people aren’t as lucky. The Jets legend came to his senses, and was able to hit the reset button on his habits. As he said, it’s probably the reason he’s still alive. Good for him for being open about his struggles and not trying to hide from the fact he made a really stupid decision all those years ago with Kolber. Most people probably wouldn’t address it so straightforwardly. Follow David Hookstead on Twitter<doc-sep>Getty Images More than 15 years ago, Hall of Fame Jets quarterback Joe Namath made a drunken pass at ESPN’s Suzy Kolber on live TV during a game involving his former team. Namath claims in a new autobiography that he hasn’t had a drink since that night. “I saw it as a blessing in disguise,” Namath writes, via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. “I had embarrassed my friends and family and could not escape that feeling. I haven’t had a drink since.” Namath called alcohol “Slick,” and he has spent years resisting him. “Every now and then Slick whispers, but having a name for him makes me listen to him differently,” Namath writes. “And, health-wise, I’d probably be dead by now if I hadn’t stopped drinking.” Namath began drinking in his 20s, and he eventually overcame it. “The drinking was what would kick my butt for a long time,” Namath writes. “I believe any of us can be brought to our knees whether from physical or emotional pain. Over the years, I learned how fragile we humans can be. Emotionally, I used that as an excuse to start drinking again. . . . I would drink all day sometimes.” Others who struggle with addiction should use Namath’s example as an inspiration that sobriety can be achieved, and sustained.<doc-sep>Products in this story are independently selected and featured editorially. If you make a purchase using these links we may earn commission. All the Way: My Life in Four Quarters is his first autobiography in 50 years Legendary Quarterback Joe Namath Says Drinking Nearly Killed Him: 'I'd Probably Be Dead by Now' Former New York Jets star Joe Namath has come clean in a new book over his post-football career alcohol addiction, a habit that nearly cost him his life, according to ESPN. The legendary quarterback says it got to a point to where a voice in his head told him to drink — a voice Namath named Slick, ESPN reported. Get push notifications with news, features and more. “Every now and then Slick whispers, but having a name for him makes me listen to him differently. And, health-wise, I’d probably be dead by now if I hadn’t stopped drinking,” Namath writes in All the Way: My Life in Four Quarters, his first autobiography in 50 years. The notoriously private 1970s-era icon covers a wide range of personal and professional experiences in the book, according to ESPN — from football-induced brain trauma and his Super Bowl III victory to his path to sobriety after years of alcohol abuse. Namath, now 75, admits his infamous 2003 sideline interview with Suzy Kolber — where he drunkenly told the reporter he wanted to kiss her — was a turning point in his life. “I saw it as a blessing in disguise,” Namath writes, ESPN reported. “I had embarrassed my friends and family and could not escape that feeling. I haven’t had a drink since.” “That shame is where I found my strength to deal with the addiction. With the help of my recovery, I learned that I had used my divorce as an excuse to go back to drinking. That knowledge made me a stronger individual.” A 2000 divorce to his ex-wife Deborah made Namath even more of a problem-drinker, the Hall of Fame quarterback reportedly recounts. RELATED VIDEO: Super Bowl Winners Pay as Much in Taxes as You Make in a Year “The drinking was what would kick my butt for a long time,” Namath writes, according to ESPN. “I believe any of us can be brought to our knees whether from physical or emotional pain. Over the years, I learned how fragile we humans can be. Emotionally, I used that as an excuse to start drinking again. … I would drink all day sometimes.”<doc-sep>
Joe Namath’s drinking rock bottom became internet fodder for years and may have saved his life. The Jets’ Super Bowl III hero opened up in his new book — “All the Way: My Life in Four Quarters” — on the ruinous effect drinking had on his post-NFL life and specifically about his inebriated attempt to kiss ESPN sideline reporter Suzy Kolber in 2003. In the infamous interview during a Jets-Patriots game, Namath slurred, “I want to kiss you. I couldn’t care less about the team struggling … I want to kiss you.” “I saw it as a blessing in disguise,” Namath, 75, said. “I had embarrassed my friends and family and could not escape that feeling. I haven’t had a drink since. “That shame is where I found my strength to deal with the addiction. With the help of my recovery, I learned that I had used my divorce as an excuse to go back to drinking. That knowledge made me a stronger individual.” Namath has been a heroic figure in Jets history, guaranteeing and then engineering the massive upset of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. But his demons, which he calls Slick, had caused him issues since he retired in 1977. “Every now and then Slick whispers, but having a name for him makes me listen to him differently,” Namath wrote. “And, health-wise, I’d probably be dead by now if I hadn’t stopped drinking,” Namath blames alcohol for his 2000 divorce from his wife Deborah. “The drinking was what would kick my butt for a long time,” Namath said. “I believe any of us can be brought to our knees whether from physical or emotional pain. Over the years, I learned how fragile we humans can be. Emotionally, I used that as an excuse to start drinking again. … I would drink all day sometimes.”