The Rockford Register Star‘s Matt Trowbridge wrote in today’s newspaper about former Chicago Bear Michael Richardson’s visit with adolescent teens at Rosecrance’s adolescent Rosecrance Griffin Williamson Campus on Wednesday.
Williamson spoke to teens about motivations, goals and the 12 Steps.
From Trowbridge’s article:
Mike Richardson, a starting cornerback on the famed 1985 Chicago Bears, partied his way out of the NFL.
His friends didn’t want to talk to him. His parents and sister shunned him. Still, Richardson refused to admit he had a drug problem.
Richardson didn’t start to change, he told 88 teenagers Tuesday at Rosecrance, until someone asked him for a ride home from a drug rehab meeting. Richardson lied and said his car was in the shop. He didn’t have a car. Or even a driver’s license.
“I had to get honest to give myself a fighting chance to change,” said Richardson, who started 80 games in six seasons with the Bears and sang on Chicago’s famed “Super Bowl Shuffle” video.
“One of the most difficult phases for me was admitting I had a problem. That kept me sick for years.”