If Quinn Pitcock was a recovering drug addict, NFL teams would probably be less wary of him.

If Pitcock was an alcoholic, he wouldn't get strange stares or snickers after sharing his story.

Athletes battling drug and alcohol problems are a common occurrence.

Much less common is a player trying to resume an NFL career while recovering from an addiction to video games.

"I'm somewhat of a pioneer," Pitcock said.

Even though sports has a reputation for being a second-chance business, there isn't exactly a guidebook for what Pitcock, now a rookie defensive lineman with the Arena League's Orlando Predators, has been through since being drafted in the third round by the Indianapolis Colts in 2007.

If your first inclination was to laugh at the idea of a mighty football player being addicted to video games, realize Pitcock's addiction was like most in that the video games were just a way to cover up more significant issues.

The transition into the NFL was difficult for Pitcock, a standout at Ohio State. He was living in a new city, totally out of his comfort zone, and under a lot of pressure to perform.

The NFL isn't like college, where teammates bond through shared experiences. In the NFL, players have families, friends outside of football and other responsibilities. It's less like a slumber party and more like working at a mill.

Pitcock has always been an introvert. Rather than get to know Indianapolis and socialize, it was easier for Pitcock to make a video game controller his best friend.

"There were some issues," he said. "Maybe some mild depression. I'm the kind of person that avoids problems. Video games were my outlet."

Quinn Pitcock, left, now spends time answering questions from concerned parents about the time their children spend on video games. Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Pitcock showed some promise as an NFL rookie, appearing in nine games and starting one. But even though he positioned himself for significant playing time his second season, he retired before the start of training camp in 2008.

"It was a rash decision," he said. "As soon as I made it, I wanted to play right away, but I was scared they didn't want me back."

Free from football, things really got bad. Pitcock was playing Xbox online up to 18 hours a day and sleeping for maybe five or six hours. His drug of choice was "Call of Duty," whose franchise has generated $6 billion worldwide. He lost touch with friends. He ignored his family when they tried to reach out to him. He became a complete hermit.

"The only way I could get my endorphins was by playing video games," he said.

He kept up that 18-hour routine for months. He tried to quit but couldn't.

"I would break the games, try to get rid of them," he said, "but I couldn't stop. I'd say, 'Quinn, what are you doing?' Physically, I could not put down a video game."

Pitcock reached out to the Colts for help, and they put him in touch with a psychologist. In the beginning, Pitcock admitted he wasn't that committed to getting better and routinely skipped meetings.