Knowing what we do of the man, it makes sense that Scott Cochran's professional ambition is now to eliminate whispering. His entire existence is one great, long shout.
Cochran was in his late 20s when he rose to an almost mythical figure within college football lore. His line "They're wearing black because they're going to a f***ing funeral" line before Alabama's 2008 beatdown of preseason No. 1 Georgia was the battle cry that launched a dynasty, and from there he became the Face Behind the Face of the greatest run college football has ever seen. Before long, his face was on the jumbotron before each fourth quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Scott Cochran was almost certainly the only strength coach in college football famous enough to star in a local TV commercial.
But as Cochran rose to a prominence in college football, he battled debilitating headaches. His doctors tried multiple medications until, in 2010, eventually landing on a solution: oxycodone.
Nicknamed Hillybilly Heroin, oxycodone is among the most addictive drugs in the world. The National Center for Health Statistics estimated that nearly 1 million Americans fatally overdosed on drugs between 1999 and 2020, with prescription drug companies aggressive marketing of painkillers (oxy chief among them) a major factor. Men aged 35 to 44 were the most vulnerable group, the Center found.
But in 2010, Cochran didn't know oxycodone as the most dangerous threat to his life. He just knew it made his headaches went away. "Man, that saved me. Which is crazy to say now."
Oxy allowed Cochran to do his job without "crushing" headaches, but in time the prescriptions began running out ahead of schedule. Then he started seeking oxy out on the street. By 2020, nearly a decade into addiction, Cochran was ready to quit and thought a change of scenery would do the trick. So, he called Kirby Smart asking to coach special teams, and Smart agreed.
"I'm thinking, Okay, I'm leaving Tuscaloosa, I can leave my drug habit behind, and I won't ever have to worry about it again."
On April 10, 2020, Cochran's wife Cissy found him after he overdosed while at his computer on a Zoom call. Since it was 2020, the Cochrans sent Scott to rehab in Massachusetts without telling anyone. "I got this thing licked," Cochran thought upon his departure 30 days later.
Except when the covid restrictions lifted, Cochran returned to campus and immediately returned to his old habits. He navigated through the 2020 season, and by June 2021 Cochran surrendered. "I was done," he said. He reported to rehab for a 100-day stint.
He returned a second time during the 2021 season, won two national championships and remained sober for two and a half years. Life was good. Then, in 2023, Cochran relapsed. He went to an outpatient facility in Athens, "and they saved my life."
Cochran formally left Georgia's staff on Valentine's Day of this year, and this week he launched his new venture, the American Addiction Recovery Association. He spoke at an event at the Georgia state capitol and appeared on Paul Finebaum's show to promote the AARA, where he now serves as president.
"I want people to know, when you think of someone that struggles with addiction, the first thing you do is you whisper, 'Hey, I've got a family member,'" Cochran whispered. "And that's why everything we're about is, eliminate that whisper. I've got a lot of national championships, I've really helped a lot of people fulfill their dreams of playing in the NFL, and addiction happened to me. Throughout the whole process, I was battling through it. And so now I have a new mission, and I'm excited."
And so now the guy who became famous for yelling his trademark "Yeah!" so much that it's now his Twitter handle is now the lead voice behind EliminateTheWhisper.com. Because of course he is.
"The biggest thing is, you're not alone. There are 29 million Americans that are in recovery right now. There's 46 million in active addiction right now. You don't have to have this shame and this fear of what people are going to think if they find out that your'e struggling. Everybody's struggling with something. And if yours is a substance, come hunt us down at EliminateTheWhisper.com. We're going to teach people how to manage someone in recovery, and there's an army behind us.
"We're not going to crouch any more, we're not going to whisper any more. We're going to bring it."