Known as Mr. Arsenal, he spent his entire playing career of 19 years as a centre-back there, making 672 total appearances and winning four English league titles.

From 1996 he recovered completely, and became involved in helping sportspeople with drink, drug or gambling addictions, founding the Sporting Chance Clinic.

Together with Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn and Steve Bould, Adams was part of the "famous back four" that lined up in Arsenal's defence, which under George Graham was renowned for its well-disciplined use of the offside trap.

He was reportedly often involved in fights in nightclubs, and on 6 May 1990 crashed his car into a wall in Rayleigh; his blood alcohol level was found to be more than four times the legal drink-drive limit.

Adams in a 2024 interview said that in early 1996, aged 29, he was in a very dark period, not wanting to live when not playing football, unable to "do life".

[9] In August 2002, just before the start of the 2002–03 season, Adams retired from professional football after a career spanning almost 20 years, his last match being the 2002 FA Cup Final.

[23] Just before his retirement as a player, Adams had applied to become manager of Brentford (who had just missed out on promotion to Division One) after the resignation of Steve Coppell, but his application was rejected.

Manager Herbert Chapman and Arsenal's all-time top goal scorer Thierry Henry,[27] and later Dennis Bergkamp, were also immortalised with statues outside the ground.

Later that year, he made headlines for several statements in his autobiography Addicted, criticising manager Glenn Hoddle for his management of David Beckham and Paul Gascoigne, and for making Alan Shearer captain instead of Adams; he also called Gascoigne an alcoholic, which was denied by the player's representatives.

A tall, brave, rugged, physical, and committed defender, his main traits were his leadership, aerial prowess, and his ability to read the game and time his tackles.

[38][39] After starting a sports science degree at Brunel University, Adams became the manager of Wycombe Wanderers on 5 November 2003.

[44] Adams joined Portsmouth as assistant manager to Harry Redknapp in June 2006, a position left vacant by the departure of Kevin Bond.

In his first season as assistant, Portsmouth finished ninth in the Premier League – their highest standing since the 1950s and won the 2007–08 FA Cup.

Adams was appointed caretaker manager of Portsmouth in October 2008, alongside Joe Jordan,[45] following the departure of Harry Redknapp to Tottenham Hotspur.

[47] In May 2010, Adams signed a three-year contract to manage Azerbaijani club FC Gabala of the Azerbaijan Premier League.

[51] On 10 April 2017, Adams was named as manager of La Liga strugglers Granada CF until the end of the 2016–17 season.

The clinic is modelled on the substance-abuse rehabilitation facility Crossroads Centre, founded by music artist Eric Clapton.

[59] SIX MHS has since formed partnerships with several organisations, including the building materials company Jewson in 2021,[60] and the Football Writers' Association in 2024.

[61] He is also a patron of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACOA UK), The Forward Trust, School-Home Support (SHS), and Saving Faces, a facial surgery research foundation.

[62][63] In December 2018, Adams was named as the 29th President of the Rugby Football League, replacing politician Andy Burnham;[64] he was succeeded in the honorary role by broadcaster Clare Balding a year later.

[62] After partnering with dance professional Katya Jones, the duo placed ninth after Adams was forced to withdraw due to injury.