Shafer Suggs

The Beginning

I was born and raised in Elkhart, Indiana. Sports became both my passion and my escape, I remembered the change in seasons as they represented a different sport for me. As a two-sport athlete at Ball State University, I learned discipline, identity, and leadership which led me to my journey led me to the NFL. Drafted 33rd overall in the 1976 draft where I proudly wore #23 for the New York Jets. At the time, my identity was built on performance. success, image, and resilience. This is how I defined and I saw myself, and how others saw me. What I eventually learned was performance is not the same as wholeness.The

 

Turning Point

After my playing career ended, the structure that once guided my life disappeared. Like many athletes, I struggled with identity loss and internal pain I had never addressed. I call it the “silent noise”. My struggle led to substance use disorder which included alcohol and mental health issues. I found myself at the crossroads of substances use disorder and mental illness way before there was a name for it. On November 9, 1986, I began a recovery journey that continues today I have been blessed 38 years of long term recovery. Recovery was not just about abstinence. It was about Shafer Suggs rebuilding character, his faith, and responsibility. It was about me learning to live honestly and accepting help.Along the way, 23 continued to shape my story.I met my wife Sue when I was 23.
We were married on 9/23/1995.
My daughter Faith was born on 2/3.Those moments grounded me in purpose beyond performance.

 

The Work Begins

As I rebuilt my life, I began speaking to youth, families, and athletic communities about identity, pressure, and recovery.That work led to two early initiatives:“W-H-Y-S (Wellness Helping Youth in Sports) serves as the youth development foundation within Inner Winner Creation. It focuses on character building, self-responsibility, emotional awareness, physical wellness, and substance use education (including alcohol) for young athletes and families. W-H-Y-S is about that building that foundation to help young athletes develop character, resilience, and awareness before crisis ever begins.”“While Inner Winner Creation provides peer-based support for individuals and athletes navigating recovery and life transition, W-H-Y-S addresses prevention and resilience development at earlier stages.” “Inner Winner was created to remind people that strength already exists within them especially in moments when life feels uncertain or broken.”Both programs were built long before mental wellness and substance use were openly discussed in athletics.

 

The Current Chapter

Today, with more than 38 years of long-term recovery from substance use disorder, including alcohol, I serve as a Peer Support Ambassador and am completing coursework toward Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS) certification.Inner Winner Creation is the evolution of that journey.It exists to support:• Individuals navigating recovery
• Athletes transitioning beyond sport
• Families breaking generational cycles
• Youth building resilience before crisisThis work is non-clinical, peer-based, and trauma-informed. It is grounded in lived experience and the belief that people can move from surviving to thriving.Inner Winner Creation represents what happens when experience becomes service.