It's not every day a pro athlete or former pro athlete opens up about an addiction issue, but in New York Jets Hall of Famer Joe Namath's book, “All the Way: My Life in Four Quarters,” Namath admits that drinking almost killed him.

Namath said he drank because a voice in his head told him to, so he named that voice “Slick” to try to combat it:

“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 said via ESPN.

One of the biggest turning points in Namath's life was in 2003 when he told Suzy Kolbert in a sideline interview that he wanted to kiss her. The Hall of Famer was so hurt that he embarrassed his friends and family he knew he needed to change:

“I saw it as a blessing in disguise,” says Namath, who admitted to being drunk during the interview. “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.”

As bad as the situation was, it's good to hear Namath learned from it and is back on the right track with his life.