“I said the words, ‘I am a drug addict’”: Former Georgia coach Scott Cochran says addiction led to resignation, sets up recovery group

Scott Cochran, the former strength and conditioning coach for the Georgia Bulldogs, cited drug addiction as the reason for his resignation after four seasons in February. Prior to joining Georgia, he had coaching stints with LSU (AS&C), the New Orleans Hornets (AS&C), and Alabama (S&C).

Cochran revealed that he battled a dependency on painkillers during his time at Alabama, which continued after he joined the Georgia staff in 2020. Following a rehab program in Massachusetts, he disclosed his struggle with drug addiction to Georgia head coach Kirby Smart in late June 2021. Cochran shared his story with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

“I literally said the words, ‘I am a drug addict,’” Cochran said. “And you could just hear the air come out of his voice. And I started getting emotional. I said, ‘I’ve been battling this a long time.’”

In February, Cochran announced his resignation and subsequently co-founded the American Addiction Recovery Association (AARA), serving as the organization's president with Jeff Breedlove as CEO. Cochran on the AARA's mission, said that the goal is to stand strong and recover:

“I’m more excited about our mission at the AARA than I was when Coach (Nick) Saban called me in 2007 to be his strength coach at Alabama,” Cochran said, via the AJC.

“We’re going to stand tall instead of crouching down. Instead of living in fear and in manipulation, we’re going to stand tall. And we’re going to wear recovery as a badge of honor. We’re coming together as a group across the nation to say, ‘Hey, recovery is real.'”

The organization aims to support individuals in addiction recovery, with Breedlove, a survivor of addiction and former associate of prominent politicians, also contributing to the cause as the CEO.

Scott Cochran's coaching career includes several national championships

Former Georgia special teams coordinator Scott Cochran.

Throughout his coaching career, Scott Cochran's achieved success by winning eight national championships, including four BCS National Champion titles and four CFP National Champion titles. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the hero of Alabama's 2018 CFP championship game, credited Cochran, who dedicated 13 years as head strength and conditioning coach at Alabama, as "the backbone for the organization at Alabama."

Cochran was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and attended John Curtis Christian School for high school. He pursued his college education at LSU, graduating in Kinesiology in 2001 and obtaining a master's degree in Sport Management in 2003. He is happily married to Cissy and has a son named Beau, as well as daughters named Savannah and Lucy.