How NY Giants Darren Waller Overcame Addiction: ‘God’s Grace is Sufficient’
By Movieguide® Contributor
NFL tight end Darren Waller is celebrating six years of sobriety, thanking God for his progress.
Waller was traded to the New York Giants this season, but he wasn’t producing what the Giants had hoped through the first six games.
However, in week seven, Waller finally scored his first touchdown of the season and secured 98 total receiving yards.
The tight end has overcome many obstacles to get to where he is now. In June 2017, Waller was suspended from the NFL for a year after breaking the league’s substance abuse policy.
Two months later, on August 11, Waller found himself at rock bottom and almost dead due to a drug overdose. Now, the tight end has marked his sixth year of sobriety.
“6 years sober and in recovery. Still writing my story. By the grace of God. One day at a time,” he wrote on Instagram.
“By the grace of God! Grateful for 5 years sober. Peace & love to everyone that has lent a hand & encouraged me along the way. If you’re reading this & suffering in silence, I hope you know that transformation is possible. We live in the age of miracles & you’re looking at one,” Waller shared on his X page in 2022.
By the grace of God! Grateful for 5 years sober. Peace & love to everyone that has lent a hand & encouraged me along the way. If you’re reading this & suffering in silence, I hope you know that transformation is possible. We live in the age of miracles & you’re looking at one 🖤 pic.twitter.com/qx3fH0Ukc9
— Darren Waller (@Rackkwall83) August 13, 2022
Waller told NFL broadcaster Ryan Clark that he needed to put his faith in God to sustain his sobriety journey.
“I need to fill that void (left by drugs) somehow. I still need to take the edge off. I still want to find something because I still have that addiction and alcoholism in me. It’s never really gonna go away, and I have to come to grips with that,” he explained. “I know that I walk daily with God and allow Him to take my mind off of that and on to things that are greater, onto a purpose for my life, onto doing things for other people.
“… If you feel like you can just coast spiritually through it, you’re really going backwards and you can start to feel it on the inside,” he added.
Now, Waller uses his platform to point others to Christ.
He appeared on the “Faith on the Field Show” podcast, sharing more about his faith journey.
“I know I went to church as a kid and went to church kind of when I was in high school, but I realize looking back it was more of like a transactional religion,” Waller said. “Kind of like, if I do these things well, God will give something.”
However, he realized that faith in God is not transactional but rather transformational.
“God’s grace is sufficient, and it’s not about what you’ve done,” Waller added on the podcast. “You’re still here and you can still be used and there’s power in your testimony.”
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
