"I crossed the line" Phil Mickelson posts lengthy tweet about gambling addiction

LIV Golf's Phil Mickelson has paid tribute to wife Amy for helping him through his gambling addiction.

18 Sep 2023

"I crossed the line" Phil Mickelson posts lengthy tweet about gambling addiction — "I crossed the line" Phil Mickelson posts lengthy tweet about gambling…

Phil Mickelson has taken to Twitter with a lengthy post about his past gambling addiction following the start of the new NFL season, and he has also paid tribute to his wife Amy for helping him through his darkest of days.

Extracts from Billy Walters' book about his relationship with Mickelson alleged the six-time major champion gambled up to $1 billion over three decades with $100m losses.

To make matters worse Walters - his former gambling partner - claimed Mickelson wanted to wager $400,000 on the 2012 Ryder Cup.

Rory McIlroy then twisted the knife.

Related: Mickelson facing fresh legal headache

Mickelson, 53, has made just shy of $100m solely from playing on the PGA Tour and now on the LIV Golf League.

Lefty left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf in a deal reportedly worth $200m.

Ryder Cup legend Lanny Wadkins last week admitted Mickelson would be "gambling in a ditch" if he wasn't a professional golfer.

Tweeting ahead of the new American Football season, which is now underway in the United States, Mickelson took to Twitter to speak at large about his past betting antics and why he will not be betting on any games in the future.

Here are some key lines from his tweet:

"I won't be betting this year because I crossed the line of moderation and into addiction which isn't any fun at all."
"I was so distracted I wasn't able to be present with the ones I love and caused a lot of harm."
"Hopefully you won't have to deal with these difficult moments publicly so others can profit off you like I have."
"Amy has loved me and supported me through my darkest and most difficult times. I couldn't have gotten through this without her."
"After many years of receiving professional help, not gambling, and being in recovery from my addictions, I’m now able to sit still, be present in the moment and live each day with an inner calm and peace."
"I still have a lot of cleaning up to do with those I love the most but I’m doing it slowly and as best I can."
"In my experience, the moments with the ones you love will be far more remembered than any bet you win or fantasy league triumph."

READ MICKELSON'S FULL TWEET HERE:

Most of you will enjoy this football season with moderation while having lots of fun and entertainment. The fantasy leagues will provide banter amongst friends and money won or lost betting won’t affect you. I wont be betting this year because I crossed the line of moderation and…
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) September 18, 2023

Mickelson tweeted:

"Most of you will enjoy this football season with moderation while having lots of fun and entertainment. The fantasy leagues will provide banter amongst friends and money won or lost betting won’t affect you. I wont be betting this year because I crossed the line of moderation and into addiction which isn’t any fun at all. The money wasn’t ever the issue since our financial security has never been threatened, but I was so distracted I wasn’t able to be present with the ones I love and caused a lot of harm. This lack of presence has been so hurtful. “You’re here but you’re not with us,” is something I’ve been told often throughout my addiction. It affected those I care about in ways I wasn’t aware or could fully understand. It’s like a hurricane is going on outside and I’m isolated in a shelter oblivious to what was happening. 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. If you ever cross the line of moderation and enter into addiction, hopefully you won’t confuse your enablers as friends like I did. Hopefully you won’t have to deal with these difficult moments publicly so others can profit off you like I have. But hopefully you WILL have a strong and supportive partner who is willing to help you through being your worst self, and through your worst moments like I have in Amy. She has loved me and supported me through my darkest and most difficult times. I couldn’t have gotten through this without her. I’m so grateful for her strength in helping us get through the many challenges I’ve created for us. Because of her love,support,and commitment, I’m back on track to being the person I want to be. After many years of receiving professional help, not gambling, and being in recovery from my addictions, I’m now able to sit still, be present in the moment and live each day with an inner calm and peace. I still have a lot of cleaning up to do with those I love the most but I’m doing it slowly and as best I can. This football season and beyond, enjoy yourself with moderation so it doesn’t detract from your ability to be present. In my experience, the moments with the ones you love will be far more remembered than any bet you win or fantasy league triumph."

Mickelson is back competing on LIV Golf in Chicago this week.

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