Maxx Crosby inspires Las Vegas by making first pro bowl nearly two years removed from rehab

It’s no secret that the Las Vegas Raiders are coming off the toughest year any team has had to endure. Raiders finally had a break go their way Wednesday when Maxx Crosby was selected to the pro bowl. Crosby was 1 of 3 Raiders that made the Pro Bowl with Denzel Perryman and AJ Cole being the other two.

While both announcements were big, the Crosby one is very inspirational. “It just brought back memories. … I was in rehab almost two years ago and now I’m in the Pro Bowl. This is a blessing man, I show up and I try to be the best teammate. Try to be the best teammate every day and show my guys that I care. It just hit home, it was special, it makes my family proud, my girl, everybody around me is calling and blowing up my phone,” Crosby said.

Since the Raiders drafted Crosby in the fourth round of the 2019 draft out of Eastern Michigan Crosby has been a game changer. A guy that has a high motor and plays with a chip on his shoulder every play. Crosby was a two-star recruit in high school, playing football and being drafted from a small FBS school. In this time of life he’s a living testament that anything can happen. "I'm crying like a baby because I just know I've worked so hard," he added, "and it's starting to pay off."

Crosby admitted in August he checked himself into rehab for a one-month stay, saying "alcoholism runs in my family and I'm an alcoholic." This training camp he came in mentally stronger and more focused on bringing a winning culture to Las Vegas. He was named team captain which he said was a “monumental step in his journey.”

Crosby’s stats by no means jump out at you; he only has 5 sacks and in his rookie season he had 10. However, it's his total impact on the game. Entering Monday's game at Cleveland, Crosby was leading all edge rushers in pressures (78) and was tied for first in pass rush win percentage (25.8%) and was second in PFF grade (90.9) and pass rush grade (91.8). That pressure has been helpful for the Raiders (7-7) record.

"I just put in so much work," he said. "For having my teammates, my peers, people, coaches around the league, it's a dream come true. It's awesome. Individual awards are cool, but something like that, you think about that as a kid ... I just want to show people out there it's not all about stats. It's your impact in the locker room, it's your impact on the field. Affecting the game, no matter what stats I get. I believe I do that every single Sunday and that's what I try to do. Yeah, it was super special, for sure."