Former Major League Baseball player Richie Lewis says he’s been struggling with depression ever since injuries cut his baseball career short after seven seasons in the big leagues.
But his wife and children say Richie’s problems go far beyond depression – they claim Richie has a drinking problem and has become “an embarrassment to the family.”
“I hate my drunk dad,” Richie’s eldest daughter, McKenzie, says. “I don’t know my father as a sober, functioning person.”
Richie flatly denies he has a problem with alcohol, telling Dr. Phil, “I don’t live my life as a drunkard.”
After hearing Richie’s story, Dr. Phil called someone from Richie’s past – former NFL and MLB star Deion Sanders, who was also Richie’s college teammate.
“I’m broken right now, Dr. Phil, because I know what he is,” Deion says after joining Richie and his family on stage. “He doesn’t understand what he’s been to me. He was the best pitcher in the country. He was the life of the team.”
“What I’ve been seeing today is a shell of what he is,” Deion adds.
Watch the video above as Deion pleads with his friend and former teammate to take the help Dr. Phil is offering – before it’s too late.
This episode of Dr. Phil airs Wednesday.
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