Former Tour pro and current broadcaster David Feherty’s struggles with substance abuse have been well documented, but in an exclusive interview with HBO’s Real Sports that is set to air on Tuesday night at 10 p.m. the witty Northern Irishman explains the heartbreak that led to a recent relapse.
Profiled by the show nearly three years ago, host Bryant Gumbel documents the understated success Feherty enjoyed on the professional circuit as well as the private battles he was waging with alcohol, drugs and depression.
Revisiting with Feherty on Tuesday night, Gumbel found a man who, although still beloved and popular with golf fans, has had a rough go of things in the past few years after he announced that his eldest son, Shey, had died of an overdose on his 29th birthday back in 2017.
My first born son is gone from me, dying from an overdose on his 29th birthday. Bless his sweet heart, I will fight on.
— David Feherty (@Fehertwit) August 1, 2017
Feherty revealed that in his mourning process, he visited a friend’s ranch “to be alone,” and decided to give alcohol another chance in hopes of feeling better after 10 years of sobriety.
“I thought, ‘You know what, I’ve been sober 10 years. I’m tired of it. … I want to feel better,'” Feherty said, “and I convinced myself that it would make me better and before I knew it, it had me under control.”
On next week’s #RealSports, Bryant Gumbel catches up with David Feherty, the golf broadcaster turned stand-up comedian, to discuss the personal tragedy that impacted his family.
Tune in Tuesday at 10 PM. pic.twitter.com/ZIdhuoXwAl
— Real Sports (@RealSportsHBO) March 22, 2019
Feherty explained that he apologizes to his son every day for not being around, whether that be physically or mentally.
“I just wasn’t there. I was always gone,” Feherty said. “Times that I was drunk. Times that I was high. Those could’ve been times that I spent with him.”
Feherty has since regained his sobriety. He’s back covering golf for Golf Channel and NBC, as well as hosting his hit interview show and traveling the country to perform his popular stand-up comedy show, “Feherty: Off Tour.”
The full feature will air on HBO on Tuesday night at 10 p.m. EST. You can watch the first full feature below.
