“That was probably the darkest moment. I had no control over my life,” Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby told the New York Post a couple of years ago while reflecting on his alcoholism. Even before entering the NFL, Crosby had struggled with alcohol to the point that by his second NFL season, he couldn’t recognize the person staring back at him in the mirror.

It was then, in March 2020, when COVID hit, that Crosby entered rehab and got sober. Fast forward to now, and Crosby has been sober for more than half a decade. During a recent appearance on the Ball in the Family Podcast with Lonzo and Gelo Ball, Crosby revealed how his habits early in his NFL career affected his performance with the Raiders.

“I came in the league; I’m a fourth-round pick. Nobody had expectations for me, and I have 10 sacks as a rookie,” Crosby said. “I’m a runner-up for rookie of the year and shit, and I’m getting all this attention out of nowhere, and it was new to me. And I got my second year, I got all these expectations. Now, you’re supposed to be the guy, you’re this, you’re that, and I’m partying my ass off.

“Like, I literally went into training camp out of rehab. Like I went to rehab right when I moved to Vegas. COVID hit, I went right into rehab. I got literally kidnapped, basically. Sent to LA. I’m in rehab for 30 days. Went to a sober living for like 3 to 4 months and then went right into an NFL training camp.”

Crosby’s drinking problems began long before his NFL career started. He started experimenting with alcohol as a sophomore in high school and quickly became heavily attached to it. During high school and college, football and his busy schedule helped him limit how frequently he drank. But when he did drink, it was often excessive.

After the Raiders drafted him in the 2019 NFL Draft, Crosby’s drinking habits didn’t bother him much in his rookie year. The edge rusher finished his season after recording 47 combined tackles, 36 solo tackles, and 10 sacks. But the number dropped in the second season, when he recorded 39 combined tackles, 20 solo tackles, and 7 sacks. That led Crosby to decide that he wanted to change and in March 2020, Crosby got sober.

“I was living in Hollywood. Strolled out there and checked into rehab. … And the whole world was put on shut down,” Crosby revealed in 2021. “I was there for a month and then I was able to just get myself right. And then after rehab, for that month I went to a sober living [facility] and I was staying out in Venice Beach all the way until training camp. I was literally in treatment like for the whole offseason.”

Fast forward to March 2026, and Maxx Crosby celebrated six years of sobriety with a lavish party.

“Our man is 6 years sober 🖤,” Crosby’s wife, Rachel Crosby, wrote in a social media post.

Since getting sober, Crosby has established himself as one of the league’s premier edge rushers. Across seven NFL seasons, he has recorded over 400 total tackles, 278 solo tackles, and 69.5 sacks. Now, he’s all set to begin his eighth season with the Raiders.