NFL player Jordan Poyer spoke to a crowd of over 1,000 SUNY Oswego students and members of the Oswego community on Tuesday as part of his “My Rock Bottom” discussion series. 

The event, which was held in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena and Convocation Hall, was a moderated open question and answer about Poyer’s personal journey with alcoholism. 

“We’re not talking (about) too much football tonight,” Poyer said. 

“I’m not the only athlete struggling with addiction issues,” Poyer said. “It’s OK to be different and it’s OK to ask for help.”

The Buffalo Bills safety first began drinking alcohol in college, where he played football for Oregon State University. 

“I got to college and it was a whole different world,” Poyer said. “I felt like I was on top of the world.”

Though he had been exposed to alcohol and the issues it can cause from a young age, Poyer said at that time he did not think he had a problem. It was not until many years after he graduated that he began to notice a pattern. 

“I wasn’t drinking because it was fun anymore,” Poyer said. “Any excuse I could come up with, I was drinking. One drink led to 10 and I was in the same cycle over and over again.”

Poyer’s “rock bottom” moment, he said, was in 2020 when he “almost lost” his young daughter. After growing up with an absent alcoholic father, Poyer knew he needed to make a change for the sake of his family. 

“My wife almost left me,” Poyer said. “I was passing my daughter off to my brother (because) I couldn’t take care of her.”

With the support of his wife and family, Poyer stopped drinking after that incident. He told his teammates a few months later, who backed him completely.

“The love I got from them went a long way,” he said. “It went from, ‘I think I can do this,’ to, ‘I know I can do this.’”

Poyer said that having a strong support system helped him immensely because he was more afraid to let them down than himself. Now after tough losses on the field, instead of reaching for the bottle, he said he thinks of everyone he promised to stay sober instead. Poyer also picked up golfing as a coping mechanism and stressed the importance of finding an activity to replace drinking in his life. 

Poyer also emphasized that he does not condemn alcohol use, but that being aware of how and why you are drinking is very important. He told the crowd that the first step in recovery is admitting to yourself that you have a problem.

“I’m not telling you to not drink, I’m not telling you to take alcohol out of your life,” Poyer said. “I couldn’t just have one drink. Some people can.”

One reason Poyer decided to start “My Rock Bottom” was to have a career option outside of football. 

“I love the game of football, it has given me a lot,” Poyer said. “(But) I worry about what’s real.”

In the NFL, if players suffer from serious injuries, sometimes it can force them to retire early. Poyer said this abrupt change in lifestyle can cause former athletes to turn to alcohol and drugs to cope with their loss.

“You’re a football player your entire life and all of a sudden your cleats get taken away from you,” Poyer said. “It’s something you’ve been doing for 20-30 years … and now it’s like, ‘What do I do now?’ I know it’s going to be hard for me to transition but it’s going to be easier now that alcohol is not a part of my life.”

At the end of the event, Poyer shared that he was 900 days sober and has three sobriety rings, one of which his brother gave him. He also told the audience that his Instagram direct messages are always open to anyone struggling and he does his best to respond to each one. 

Poyer will continue his NFL career with the Buffalo Bills this upcoming season and plans to continue sharing his story with hopes to break the stereotype of the “strong man athlete.”

Photo via Abigail Connolly