Jarrett Bell

USA TODAY Sports

If you thought Marcell Dareus returned to work after a four-game suspension as a man fresh from a stint in drug rehab, think again.

The Buffalo Bills’ powerful defensive tackle never sought treatment in a rehab facility while away from football – contrary to intentions expressed in statements from the player and team a few weeks ago -- Dareus revealed during an expansive interview with USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday.

Instead, Dareus, 26, received treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), amid efforts to build a new network of support that he sees as crucial to keeping his life and career in order.

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In addition to enlisting the help of an ADHD expert and a life coach, Dareus has connected with a new mentor, Hall of Fame defensive end Bruce Smith.

Structure. Direction. Focus. Those were the types of words that Dareus, who was also suspended for one game in 2015 for issues linked to marijuana, used in describing his process of a personal rebound.

“I can’t explain how critical this is for me,” Dareus said during a 33-minute interview that marked his first public comments since returning from the suspension on Monday. “I have to put my best foot forward and be the person I know I want to be.”

The decision to not enter rehab is an interesting twist because so much was made of that plan in late August, days after Dareus told reporters that his latest suspension stemmed from a missed test, rather than a failed test.

Asked why he opted not to go to rehab, Dareus said, “I met with the team medical doctors and we kind of wanted to evaluate and get a better understanding of making the right, positive course of action for exactly what I need to do myself.”

Dareus was first diagnosed with ADHD while starring at Alabama. Considering that, it isn’t a shock that he was drawn to meet the New York-based Ned Hollowell, whom he says he now communicates with on a daily basis. It’s commendable that despite stigmas associated with seeking professional treatment for mental health issues, he expresses no shame in acknowledging a need.

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“It’s a living course of action that’s still ongoing,” he said.

Then there’s Smith. Dareus only knew Smith casually when they had a heart-to-heart talk in mid-September, when Smith was in Buffalo for festivities surrounding the retirement of his jersey. Yet Dareus became so engaged that he asked Smith if he could continue the conversations by visiting with the Bills legend at his home in Virginia Beach, Va.

Smith obliged, with the support of his wife, Carmen, and the two-time Pro Bowl selection became a house guest for four days. On top of meals, workouts and golf, they had extensive talks about life – and managing an NFL career.

“For someone who really wants to pass down the knowledge to me, it means the world to me,” Dareus said of Smith.

Smith concludes that Dareus – whose string of tragedies extend to his early childhood with the deaths of his parents, a younger brother and other people who were close to him – has a good heart but needs to exhibit more maturity in making decisions on a daily basis.

Maybe the suspension will serve as a wakeup call.

“We all have defining moments in our lives and careers,” Smith told USA TODAY Sports. “Right now, he’s at a defining moment.”

It might be easy for fans to see athletes like Dareus, with all of their speed, power, fame and fortune, and lose sight of how much they are people, too, with real issues. Dareus, a gregarious type, comes across as human as anybody when listening to him reflect on his personal journey.

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Yet it’s also apparent that part of his challenge and responsibility – to himself, more than anyone – is to grow up, too.

“It’s been tough,” he said. He experienced the death of his father when he was six and lost his mother when he was 20. “There’s been a lot to handle. But I’m getting older. It’s taken time. I’m getting over it. I’m getting as much help as possible to manage it and keep moving forward.”

Now it’s a matter of convincing his teammates and coaches that he’s changed for the better.

For the long haul. Despite increased scrutiny.

There’s little question about his talent, which is why the Bills signed Dareus, drafted No. 3 overall in 2011, to a six-year, $96.5 million extension in 2015 with $60 million guaranteed, at the time the most in NFL history for a non-quarterback.

With such a serious investment it’s no wonder that when his latest suspension was announced, the Bills went beyond the typical boilerplate statement and lamented Dareus’ choices. In 2014, he was arrested on drug possession charges that were ultimately wiped out as part of a pre-trial intervention, which led to the one-game suspension, and cited for an alleged drag-racing incident that resulted in him crashing his Jaguar into a tree.

“I’m a better person, a better teammate, a better player,” Dareus promises. “I just want to show them. Talk is cheap. I’m at the point where I have to do it.”

Typical for a player back from a suspension, Dareus professes how much he missed the game. He said it was gut-wrenching to watch the Bills (2-2) drop their first two games while sensing that he could have made a difference. He’ll get another chance on Sunday, when Buffalo visits the Los Angeles Rams.

“I can’t wait to go out there and lay hands on someone,” he says.

That sounds gentle enough. Not so gentle, when envisioning a 6-3, 331-pound dynamo crashing into blockers, running backs and quarterbacks.

“I’ve got to play catch-up,” he said. “I feel like I let my teammates down. I have to do whatever I can to help, in any form or fashion, and be somebody that they can count on.”

Dareus has the right idea. Perhaps his new approach and support system will help him reach his enormous potential not only as a football player, but as a man finally able to overcome high-profile obstacles.

Follow Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.

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