LIVINGSTON, Ala. – One hour away from the place that made him well-known, Scott Cochran will get the information from his athletic coach that it is too scorching to put on pads at observe right now.
It is an unlucky actuality of the blazing Alabama solar this morning, however he has no alternative however to adapt and transfer on. He is aware of it will not go over properly along with his younger workers — stuffed with former Alabama stars like Blake Sims, O.J. Howard and Bo Scarbrough. They’re keen for an additional alternative to enhance with the season opener looming. Cochran was as soon as the identical — ringleader of these then-Alabama gamers working 110s within the punishing warmth that helped form Crimson Tide groups that by no means backed down.
However whenever you’ve lived the life Cochran has during the last 5 years, you achieve perspective on what actually issues.
Inside Homer Discipline Home as Division-II West Alabama’s new head coach, Cochran is 60 miles and a lifetime away from Bryant-Denny Stadium, the place he performed a crucial function on Nick Saban’s Alabama workers that received 5 nationwide championships. There are none of Tuscaloosa’s waterfalls or ostentatious shows of wealth right here. The services are akin to what you’d see at a big highschool on this state.
When Cochran was flying excessive because the nation’s most well-known and extremely paid power coach — well-known for his loud “YEAH, YEAH, YEAH,” — this wasn’t what he envisioned when he dreamed of being a head coach. It’s important to hustle for all the pieces right here, and whereas he is extraordinarily grateful for the paycheck and perception in him, he says it is a couple of quarter of what he final made at Georgia.
He used his first three paychecks to get his gamers necessities like new cleats, gloves, and sweatshirts, so they do not need to maintain carrying their highschool gear. There have been no huge Nike advertising sponsorship offers to outfit everybody within the constructing head-to-toe in free gear.
A loud, booming voice and a contagious spirit, Cochran had one way or the other turn out to be well-known in a job that was sometimes behind the scenes and out of sight. What number of different power and conditioning coaches are you aware who appeared on “60 Minutes”? Or in financial institution commercials? Or proven again and again on huge videoboards earlier than 101,821 screaming followers.
Fame went to his head, and when he noticed associates like Good and Lane Kiffin get head teaching jobs, he thought he deserved one, too. He wished the function for all of the fallacious causes – cash, energy, ego.
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Beginning over
Life has humbled him since then.
It was an extended, winding journey to achieve this level — from NBA assistant power coach, to Saban’s right-hand man in power and conditioning, to Georgia’s particular groups coordinator, to being out of soccer and not sure if he would ever get one other shot. For a lot of that journey, Cochran carried a harmful secret: He was hooked on medicine. Not Saban, not Kirby Good, not even his household knew.
After leaving Georgia in February 2024, Cochran spent greater than a yr telling his story throughout the nation, together with in entrance of loads of faculty soccer groups. He based a nonprofit group known as American Dependancy Restoration Affiliation and was contemplating beginning a rehab facility when he acquired a name gauging his curiosity in turning into West Alabama’s head coach.
“I get a each day or weekly reminder that God needs me right here,” Cochran informed CBS Sports activities. “Like weekly, one thing will occur, whether or not it is a child actually struggling or whether or not it is one thing with household, it is like I am speculated to be right here. So I am not gonna reside in worry. I am simply going to take it one step at a time, and if it will get an excessive amount of, I’ve an important workers. They might step up.”
It is, partly, what makes this juncture of life so fascinating for Cochran. He is making ready for his first recreation as a head coach towards Fort Valley State on Aug. 30, whereas attempting to keep up his sobriety and maintain his household as the highest precedence. On this present day, he is even going to overlook a crew assembly that night time so he can go to his son’s soccer recreation — a choice he admits he by no means would have made at Alabama or Georgia, the place he all the time put the job above all else. And whereas he is been open about his struggles, he is readying to point out essentially the most unvarnished model of his story but in a brand new e-book, written alongside Ivan Maisel, which got here out Tuesday.
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Sharing his story
In “Skull Sessions: Mastering the Mental Game in Sports, Work and Life,” Cochran particulars the management classes he realized and deployed working alongside two of the sport’s greatest in Saban and Good. There are many entertaining anecdotes that Alabama and common faculty soccer followers will get pleasure from, together with one in all Saban dancing and dealing with future NFL stars like Jalen Hurts.
However what makes it greater than only a management or soccer e-book is it’s juxtaposed with Cochran’s deep plunge into drug habit that derailed his profession and nearly killed him. In a single notably harrowing passage, Cochran particulars overdosing in April 2020 and his spouse, Cissy, discovering him slumped over and unresponsive in his chair after he accomplished a piece Zoom name.
It will get darkish, at occasions, and Cochran would not spare himself the embarrassing particulars. The habit to OxyContin, prescribed initially for debilitating migraines, acquired so dangerous that Cochran snorted medicine throughout Alabama soccer video games in Saban’s non-public workplace.
That is what life was like for Cochran as a profitable addict — doing all the pieces he may to look regular whereas getting bolder and bolder about getting his repair. Years later, when he entered a drug rehabilitation facility for a second time, Cochran anticipated to check optimistic for Oxy, however was shocked when Chris Herren informed him he had solely fentanyl in his system.
The closest he got here to getting caught was on the Capital One Bowl towards Michigan in 2020. Cochran went into the coaches’ locker room at halftime and used a stall to snort his drugs off the plastic shelf above the bathroom paper dispenser.
The following day, Ellis Ponder, the director of soccer operations, requested Cochran, “Did you snort one thing within the stall? Somebody heard a sound such as you have been snorting one thing.”
“It is liberating to let go of that,” Cochran says. “To enter Coach Saban’s workplace throughout halftime, lock the door, and inform all people I am taking a deuce and snort drugs. It is liberating to let that go, to not have that at the back of my thoughts like God, that is so shameful, that is so gross and so ugly. You let it go, you let it go.”
He hopes his story will assist others who is perhaps in their very own darkish interval — perhaps even somebody like him, too afraid to ask for assist. In soccer, there’s strain to be robust and powerful in your gamers, usually placing their wants forward of your individual. A number of high-level coaches have informed CBS Sports activities that the career faces a little-discussed however severe epidemic: 100-hour work weeks the place psychological and bodily wellness usually fall by the wayside. Some self-medicate with alcohol. Cochran believes misuse of Adderall — a stimulant meant to deal with ADHD — is one other difficulty not getting sufficient consideration. Possibly it is going to now, he thinks, when folks hear his story.
When he overdosed, he had combined a “speedball” of three 30-milligram Oxy drugs with one Adderall and snorted them.”I’ve by no means seen Nick or Kirby (do it) however I’ve seen a whole lot of others that Adderall is their go-to, whether or not they’re prescribed or not,” Cochran mentioned.
He feels good about the place he’s however understands that he has to consistently work at it. He talked to his sponsor for an hour the earlier night time and looks like he has the assist system in place now that he did not when earlier makes an attempt at sobriety failed whereas nonetheless teaching at Georgia.
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The CEO
With sobriety comes a new-look Cochran. Sitting throughout from him, Cochran is mellow, even barely soft-spoken at occasions, in a approach one by no means may have imagined when seeing him hopping round Alabama practices and yelling on the high of his lungs. That fixed yelling, the necessity to all the time be stuffed with enthusiasm and spirit, is what acquired him right here within the first place. He was yelling a lot it brought about tortuous migraines he could not ameliorate. He tried shoving his head in ice buckets and taking Tylenol nevertheless it was solely a quick respite from ache that would not go away. It wasn’t till a health care provider prescribed OxyContin that Cochran lastly felt freed from the ache’s intense grip on him.
Cochran’s story from there’s a acquainted one: His tolerance went up and he wanted increasingly drugs to get reduction. As he ran via his prescriptions, he began sourcing drugs from drug sellers and blew via 1000’s of {dollars} to maintain up with an habit that worsened each day. The habit pushed him to get bolder and fewer strident on the place he acquired the drugs, leading to Cochran ultimately turning into hooked on fentanyl.
Now as a head coach, Cochran makes use of a microphone to save lots of his voice and keep away from the complications. There’s nonetheless loads of vitality from “Coach Yeah” however he envisions himself as a program CEO and would not need to — and should not — be the person he was again at Alabama.
“I haven’t got to go on the market and placed on a present,” he says. “I can simply go on the market and coach. I haven’t got to be the juice man whereas I assumed previously they would not have juice if I did not convey it. I believed that; there is no approach they will be prepared for observe until I’m.”
Because the dialog wraps up, Cochran grabs a Cowboy hat to guard his shaved head towards the Alabama warmth and will get able to information his crew via one other observe. He is calm as he begins the stroll to fulfill his crew
Together with his crew in shorts and shells, it wasn’t what he had deliberate for however in a small approach emblematic of the place he’s in life now. After an almost-deadly detour, Cochran is again the place he belongs, at peace along with his calling of serving to younger males.
Three noteworthy anecdotes from Cochran’s e-book
With the garments on his again
Whereas working because the New Orleans Hornets’ assistant weight coach, Cochran acquired tipped off that Saban was going to name him about becoming a member of his new Alabama workers. Saban informed him he wished to interview him for his head power coach place and to be in Tuscaloosa the next morning.
Just one downside for Cochran: All he had on him have been Hornets velour warm-up fits and the remainder of his garments have been in Oklahoma Metropolis after Hurricane Katrina displaced the crew out of New Orleans. May he return to Oklahoma Metropolis and get some actual garments, Cochran requested Saban.
“I am not hiring you to be a f—— banker,” Saban informed him. “Be right here within the morning.”
The remaining was historical past.
Rat poison
After Alabama misplaced to LSU within the “Sport of the Century” in 2011, the Crimson Tide wanted assist to get into the BCS Championship Sport. No. 1 Baylor shedding helped Alabama transfer as much as No. 3 within the rankings, however No. 2 Oklahoma State nonetheless stood within the Tide’s rematch with LSU.
That was till the No. 2 Cowboys misplaced to Iowa State in a wild double additional time recreation Friday night time. When Oklahoma State misplaced and the trail opened up for Alabama, gamers wildly celebrated of their lodge the night time earlier than a recreation towards Georgia Southern.
Saban, sensing his crew wanting forward of its opponent, unloaded on his workers that morning and did the identical for the crew later that day.
“He went nuts, completely loopy on us,” Cochran wrote. “He informed us we weren’t within the playoff but, and that we have been taking our eye off the ball. You title it, he accused us of it.”
Not lengthy after Saban let everybody on the crew have it, Cochran ran into Saban’s uncle, Sid Popovich, on the sector earlier than the sport.
Sid informed Cochran: “Man, you must have seen Coach final night time. After Oklahoma State misplaced, oh my God! He was so glad! He was standing on his chair; he was dancing. I’ve by no means seen him so glad! It was one of the best. He was in such an excellent temper.”
If solely we may get footage of Saban dancing on a chair after Oklahoma State misplaced. However him turning off his inner emotions for the better good is what made him so nice as a frontrunner. He additionally proved to be proper that Georgia Southern was to not be taken frivolously because the opponent rushed for 302 yards towards a protection that solely allowed 938 speeding yards the whole season. Saban would later famously say “Georgia Southern ran via our protection like shit via a tin horn.”
Trapped between Saban and Good
Cochran confirms what I and others reported on the time: He was going to observe Kirby Good to Athens again in 2016 earlier than Saban made him a proposal he could not refuse.
When Good, Alabama’s then-defensive coordinator, acquired the Georgia job, he wished to convey Cochran with him as his power and conditioning coach. Cochran was on board, writing that he “shook his hand and informed him I might include him.” However he needed to ultimately name Kirby and renege on his promise after Saban’s provide got here via.
When Cochran ultimately left for Georgia in 2020, Saban wasn’t thrilled that his high lieutenant would depart for his greatest competitors within the SEC.
“As soon as I informed him I meant to go away, what Coach Saban noticed is that I meant to go away to go work for Alabama’s rival for SEC and nationwide supremacy. He held me to the buyout clause in my contract.”
Cochran owed Alabama $600,000 when he left, although his attorneys have been ultimately in a position to get that negotiated right down to $300,000. Cochran paid $100,000 of that earlier than Saban forgave the rest when his former right-hand man needed to take a depart of absence from Georgia to go to a rehab facility.
Cochran’s spouse, Cissy, known as Saban and informed him they might honor their buyout funds however requested for an extension so he may pay for rehab. The following day Saban known as Cochran and informed him, “Hey, you’ve got paid sufficient of the buyout. Get wholesome.”
