If John Boyett's football career was instead a turn at the plate in baseball, he'd already have two strikes against him.

Those strikes came in the form of public intoxication and assault convictions, costing him roster spots with the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos.

With all that behind him, the 26-year-old will make his debut as a starter for the Ottawa Redblacks tonight against the Montreal Alouettes.

John Boyett stretches at the Denver Broncos' training facility in Englewood, Colo., in June 2014, before being released by the NFL team. (The Associated Press) The journey to CFL starter for Boyett, once a promising NFL prospect drafted in the sixth round, has been long and full of roadblocks — most of his own making.

"It's hard enough to be successful in anything in life. When you have self-inflicted wounds it makes it that much more difficult, so just cut out that type of thing," Boyett said in an interview with CBC Ottawa's Giacomo Panico.

The Napa, Calif., native was a star football player at the University of Oregon. Late in his college career, he faced a big dilemma: play through a nagging knee injury to help his team or have season-ending surgery to repair it properly.

Disappointing draft

As a result his stock at the NFL draft dropped significantly. He was eventually drafted in the sixth round by the Indianapolis Colts in 2013.

"That was tough, you know. When you see other players getting picked up early in the draft and getting big chunks of money and then you end up falling because of something you necessarily couldn't control. Yeah that's tough ... but you got to kind of battle through it and keep working."

You have to step back away from things, look in the mirror and try to figure out what's best moving forward. - John Boyett

The work side of the equation has never been a problem for Boyett. But drinking-related altercations twice cost him his place on NFL rosters.

In 2013 he was reported to have told officers they couldn't arrest him because he was a member of the Indianapolis Colts football team.

The Colts cut him. The Denver Broncos then picked him up and placed him on their practice roster, but a similar off-field incident led to him being cut from the NFL all together.

"Whether things are going good or things are going bad there's always a time (when) you have to step back away from things, look in the mirror and try to figure out what's best moving forward," Boyett said.

Short-term, long-term goals

The Indianapolis Colts waived John Boyett in September 2013 after he was arrested on public intoxication and other charges. (The Associated Press) Boyett re-surfaced on the RedBlacks practice roster last year. And now, sober but with work-ethic in tow, he's cracked the starting line-up at the linebacker position.

"In life there's going to be adversity. It's not a matter of if there's adversity, just when. Especially in football. Everyone's going to have to face an injury at some point in their career and it just takes hard work and dedication to get back out there.

It would be reasonable to assume Boyett has his eyes set on a return to the NFL, but he told CBC Ottawa it's all about the next game, starting with Thursday's contest in Montreal.

"My goal is to try and get a win against Montreal... Short goals. Try not to look at the big goals too much."

Redblacks head coach Rick Campbell has had glowing words for Boyett, praising that work ethic and his intensity in the locker room. It's the kind of praise Boyett seems to use as fuel.

"It feels awesome. When you hear somebody that you value and respect say good things about you, it feels pretty good."