BALTIMORE (AP) — Recently retired Baltimore Ravens linebacker Zach Orr is teaming up with Maryland's public health agency in the fight against opioid addiction.

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said Monday that Orr appears in a series of public service announcements that will be shown on television and in movie theaters.

The agency says the PSAs aim to destigmatize addiction by treating it as a disease instead of something shameful.

Orr announced his retirement from football last month, at age 24, due to a congenital spinal condition. He says the condition went undiagnosed until it was revealed by a CT scan prompted by his neck injury in a Christmas Day game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.