WDAM - Channel 7 - Serving Hattiesburg, Laurel and the Pine BeltESPN commentator speaks about his time at Gentle Path in Hattiesburg

ESPN commentator speaks about his time at Gentle Path in Hattiesburg

HATTIESBURG, MS (WDAM) - The Hattiesburg-based sexual addiction facility where Tiger Woods reportedly went in for treatment is getting even more attention now that another high profile figure is talking about his own time there.

Former ESPN commentator and former general manger of the New York Mets Steve Phillips went on the Today Show Monday morning after spending 45 days at Gentle Path while being treated for sex addiction.

Phillips said he decided to seek treatment just days before the news broke of him having an affair with a 22-year-old ESPN intern late last year. Phillips, as well as the intern, were fired from ESPN.

Phillips said the addiction is real and patients can be helped.

"People who go there are broken people," said Phillips. "I mean that's really the essence of the addiction is that you're broken inside, you've got a hole that you tried to fill, whether it was with alcohol or drugs or with sex or gambling, with whatever. So you've got a lot of broken people there that are struggling to find answers and really that's what you do. You go there and they try to get to the basis of why did you do what you did."

Phillips says treatment helped him realize his mistakes, and added he is continuing to work on saving his marriage.

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