Golfer Phil Mickelson says he won't be betting on football games this season as he addresses his gambling addiction and attempts to get "back on track to being the person I want to be.”
In a lengthy social media post Monday, the six-time major champion admitted that his gambling habits got out of control as he "crossed the line of moderation and into addiction."
As a result, he said he shut out his friends and family members, comparing the situation to being inside a shelter while a hurricane was hitting. "When I came out there was so much damage to clean up that I just wanted to go back inside and not deal with it," Mickelson wrote.
Mickelson's public admission of his gambling addiction comes a month after professional gambler Billy Walters alleged in a new book that Mickelson wagered more than $1 billion on different sports over the last three decades and racked up more than $100 million in losses.
Mickelson, who has over $100 million in career earnings during his 30-plus years as a pro golfer, in addition to an estimated seven times more in endorsements and other businesses, says his financial security "was never threatened" by his gambling, but he "was so distracted I wasn’t able to be present with the ones I love and caused a lot of harm."
Mickelson, 53, credited his wife Amy for standing by him in his attempts to get his life back on track.
He concluded with a word of advice to would-be gamblers this football season: "In my experience, the moments with the ones you love will be far more remembered than any bet you win or fantasy league triumph."
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