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A little more than eight months since he was arrested in Gilbert, Ariz., for shoplifting and possession of a controlled substance, former BYU quarterback Max Hall finally broke his silence earlier this week, saying an addiction to painkillers that began when he was injured while playing for the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL led to his unlawful behavior.

Hall called his arrest on Aug. 30, 2014 at a Best Buy electronics store in Gilbert "maybe a blessing disguise," because it led to him getting the help he needed.

A lot of that help came from his former coaches and acquaintances at BYU, where he was the starting quarterback from 2007-09 and finished his career with 32 wins as a starting QB, most in school history.

Hall tells reporter Jude LaCava in the interview that when he finally turned his phone back on days after his arrest went public, that former BYU quarterbacks coach Brandon Doman and former BYU All-America tight end Chad Lewis reached out to help, along with BYU professor Doug Witt.

He said the three men found a place for him to go in Utah to get treatment and recover.

"Really, they just huddled around me," Hall said.

Hall told LaCava that he suffered two concussions early in his career with the Cardinals, and "wasn't thinking straight" and lied about their severity to team doctors in order to get back on the field.

He admitted failing a drug test during the NFL lockout and being forced to enter the league's drug treatment program.

The addiction to the opiate-based painkiller Oxycodone came after he suffered a shoulder injury midway through his rookie season, he said.

Hall returned to BYU after getting released by the Cardinals and was a student-assistant coach for a season.

He played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for a season, but was released by that CFL team and had began working as an offensive coordinator at Gilbert High when he suffered a relapse and was arrested at the Best Buy.

"I was in a situation that was pretty tough and embarrassing," Hall told LaCava.