Change Your Brain Every Day From Vodka to Victory: How the Real "Jerry Maguire" Hit Rock Bottom, Rebuilt His Life, and Stood Up to the NFL
Nov 17, 2025
Leigh Steinberg, the legendary sports agent and inspiration for Jerry Maguire, shares his transformative journey from addiction to advocacy. He reveals the shocking truths about the NFL's knowledge of concussions and discusses how he hit rock bottom with alcoholism. Steinberg explores brain health, the profound impact of traumatic injuries, and the innovative therapies that facilitated his recovery. With a mission to protect young athletes, he emphasizes the need for cultural change in sports regarding brain health and resilience.
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Subconcussive Hits Add Up
- Repeated sub-concussive impacts produce cumulative brain changes even when not diagnosed as concussions.
- Leigh Steinberg warns these low-level hits can sum to thousands and alter brain health over time.
Early Concussion Summits Began In 1994
- Steinberg organized early concussion summits in 1994 and 2006 to raise awareness among top NFL players and neurologists.
- He called repeated head trauma a ticking time bomb and pushed ongoing annual summits.
NFL Denial And Conflicted Research
- The NFL's internal research was conflicted and relied on inappropriate experts and animal models, delaying transparency.
- Steinberg asserts the league knew about exponential risks from repeated concussions but downplayed them.
