Sign-In
Cart
My Life on the Line: How the NFL Damn Near Killed Me and Ended Up Saving My Life
Paperback
Biographies GeneralAthletesFootball
Currently unavailable to order
Please enter your email and a message will be sent to you when this product becomes available on our website.
ISBN13: 9781617757594
Publisher: Edge of Sports
Published: Sep 3 2019
Pages: 232
Weight: 0.60
Height: 1.00 Width: 5.80 Depth: 8.40
Language: English
[O'Callaghan's] story is one of beautiful vulnerability, and it further shows the importance of knowing you aren't alone. --Oprah Daily, recommended by Gayle King
Ryan O'Callaghan's plan was always to play football and then, when his career was over, kill himself. Growing up in a politically conservative corner of California, the not-so-subtle messages he heard as a young man from his family and from TV and film routinely equated being gay with disease and death. Letting people in on the darkest secret he kept buried inside was not an option: better death with a secret than life as a gay man. As a kid, Ryan never envisioned just how far his football career would take him. He was recruited by the University of California, Berkeley, where he spent five seasons, playing alongside his friend Aaron Rodgers. Then it was on to the NFL for stints with the almost-undefeated New England Patriots and the often-defeated Kansas City Chiefs.
Bubbling under the surface of Ryan's entire NFL career was a collision course between his secret sexuality and his hidden drug use. When the league caught him smoking pot, he turned to NFL-sanctioned prescription painkillers that quickly sent his life into a tailspin. As injuries mounted and his daily intake of opioids reached a near-lethal level, he wrote his suicide note to his parents and plotted his death.
Yet someone had been watching. A member of the Chiefs organization stepped in, recognizing the signs of drug addiction. Ryan reluctantly sought psychological help, and it was there that he revealed his lifelong secret for the very first time. Nearing the twilight of his career, Ryan faced the ultimate decision: end it all, or find out if his family and football friends could ever accept a gay man in their lives.
1 different editions
Also available
My Life on the Line: How the NFL Damn Near Killed Me and Ended Up Saving My Life
O'Callaghan, Ryan
Hardcover
Also in
Athletes
The Badger: The Life of Bernard Hinault and the Legacy of French Cycling
Fotheringham, William
Paperback
Dick Bremer: Game Used: My Life in Stitches with the Minnesota Twins
Bremer, Dick
Bruton, Jim
Hardcover
Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird
O'Brien, Keith
Hardcover
The Messi Effect: How the Global Legend Changed the Future of American Soccer
Tenorio, Paul
Hardcover
We Are the World (Cup): A Personal History of the World's Greatest Sporting Event
Bennett, Roger
Hardcover
Fight Through It: The Battles, Breakthroughs, and Beauty of Becoming Resilient Enough to Never Give Up
Hall, Roy, Jr.
Paperback
The Long Run: Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit, Grete Waitz, and the Decade That Made the Marathon Cool
Dugard, Martin
Hardcover
The Bosses of the Bronx: The Endless Drama of the Yankees Under the House of Steinbrenner
Vaccaro, Mike
Hardcover
Masters of the Game: A Conversational History of the NBA in 75 Legendary Players
Smith, Sam
Jackson, Phil
Hardcover
Moses and the Doctor: Two Men, One Championship, and the Birth of Modern Basketball
Epplin, Luke
Hardcover
Another Life: Discovering the Healing Power of Purpose on My Long Journey from Player to Preacher
Strawberry, Darryl
Hardcover
In the Name of Freedom: A Political Dissident's Fight for Human Rights in the NBA and Around the World
Freedom, Enes Kanter
Hardcover
The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership
Walsh, Bill
Jamison, Steve
Walsh, Craig
Paperback
Duct Tape and Determination: A True Story of Turning Devastation Into Grit
Hunt-Broersma, Jacky
Hardcover
The Long Run: A New York City Firefighter's Triumphant Comeback from Crash Victim to Elite Athlete
Long, Matt
Butler, Charles
Paperback
The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball
Miller, John W.
Hardcover
Earned: The True Cost of Greatness from One of Hockey's Fiercest Competitors
Pronger, Chris
Hardcover
How to Build a Car: The Autobiography of the World's Greatest Formula 1 Designer
Newey, Adrian
Hardcover
Royal Treatment: Jackie Robinson, Montreal, and the Breaking of Baseball's Color Barrier
McLaughlin, Sean J.
Hardcover
The Bookie: How I Bet It All on Sports Gambling and Watched an Industry Explode
Birkbeck, Matt
Manteris, Art
Hardcover
Checkmate: Genius, Lies, Ambition, and the Biggest Scandal in Chess (Large Print Edition)
Mezrich, Ben
Paperback
Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board
Bundschuh, Rick
Hamilton, Bethany
Paperback
Cinderella Man: James J. Braddock, Max Baer, and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History
Schaap, Jeremy
Paperback
The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team
Coffey, Wayne
Paperback
The Fight of His Life: Joe Louis's Battle for Freedom During World War II
Smith, Johnny
Roberts, Randy
Hardcover
Just Give Me a Chance to Fail: The Life of NFL Hall of Fame Linebacker Sam Mills
Domowitch, Paul
Hardcover
Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball
O'Brien, Keith
Paperback
When We Were Young and Fearless: Kevin, Russell, James, and the Making of the Modern NBA
Abrams, Jonathan
Hardcover
The Leadership Secrets of Nick Saban: How Alabama's Coach Became the Greatest Ever
Talty, John
Hardcover
A Life's Calling: The Voice Behind the World's Greatest Horse Races
Volponi, Paul
Shulman, Lenny
Durkin, Tom
Hardcover
The Spurrier Effect: How One Coach Transformed Gamecock Football
Silvia, Brent
Miller, Kevin
Hardcover
Running for My Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games
Lomong, Lopez
Paperback
Fight Through It: The Battles, Breakthroughs, and Beauty of Becoming Resilient Enough to Never Give Up
Hall, Roy, Jr.
Hardcover
Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship
Ryan, Tom
Paperback
Ashes to Endzone: The Fight for Identity, Faith, and a Future Bigger Than the Game
Jones, Perris
Hardcover
Lambeau: The Epic Life of Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau, the Man Who Invented the Green Bay Packers
Gould, Herb
Paperback
Bart's Heart: A Journey of Family, Friendship, Football and Faith
Lee, David T.
Burrell, Bart
Paperback
The Making of a Miracle: The Untold Story of the Captain of the 1980 Gold Medal-Winning U.S. Olympic Hockey Team
Boudette, Neal
Eruzione, Mike
Paperback
Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird (Large Print Edition)
O'Brien, Keith
Hardcover
The Rocket That Fell to Earth: Roger Clemens and the Rage for Baseball Immortality
Pearlman, Jeff
Paperback
Tommy's Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf's Founding Father and Son
Cook, Kevin
Paperback
The Can-Do Mindset: How to Cultivate Resilience, Follow Your Heart, and Fight for Your Passions
Parker, Candace
Hardcover
L.A. Story: Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and a Season for the Ages
Plunkett, Bill
Hardcover
American Soccer Nation: The Remarkable 150-Year History of Yanks on a Roll, from Mob Football to the Modern Game
Franek, Mark C.
Paperback
Beyond Fast: How a Renegade Coach and His Unlikely High School Team Revolutionized Distance Running
Greif, Andrew
Brosnan, Sean
Lear, Chris
Hardcover
The Skateboard Life: Movers, Shakers, Makers & Rulebreakers: The Quintessential Story of Skateboard Culture
Williams, Neftalie
Hardcover