There was a time when the biggest debate in football was whether Ryan Leaf or Peyton Manning would have the more successful NFL career. As Manning now prepares to play in his third Super Bowl and win his second Super Bowl championship to ride off into the NFL retirement sunset on a high horse, Leaf is also making the rounds this week to tell a much different story.
“My life’s peaceful and unchaotic, and that’s all I can ask for,” Leaf said in an interview with Marty Caswell of Mighty 1090 AM in San Diego.
Leaf’s NFL career last saw him take an NFL field in 2001 with the Dallas Cowboys and ended with a spot on the practice squad for the Seattle Seahawks a year later. Since his burnout from the NFL, legal troubles have followed Leaf every which way. He was indicted for burglary and controlled substance charges in Texas in May 2009. He was arrested for burglary again in 2012, as well as drug charges in Montana.
Two arrest warrants were issued in April 2012 for Leaf and he was later sentenced to seven years in prison. Leaf was released from prison in December 2014, and he says his time in prison was just what he needed to finally get his life back in order.
“For me, it had to happen. That’s how humble I had to be for me to get it,” Leaf said. Now he is there to offer his advice to any who choose to listen.
“When I was doing that stuff I was still sober. I think that when the problem came about, I didn’t ask for help,” Leaf said. “During that time I felt good about what I was doing, except I didn’t follow my own instructions. I don’t want to say this time’s different because today I’m good, who knows what happens tomorrow.”
“If I can help one person, then why not continue to do it?”
Leaf explained his process going through treatment for a brain tumor and getting radiation, but he swayed away from using that as an excuse for his troubles. Leaf said he went to a treatment center immediately after leaving prison so he could establish a foundation for himself, perhaps sensing he needed a controlled environment even after leaving prison. He then got a job and has found a way to stay out of trouble.
Despite advice to stay out of the media spotlight, Leaf made the decision to return to radio row at the Super Bowl this week as a way of spreading his story in hopes of encouraging others to handle their lives differently.
As Leaf shares his story, Manning is writing the final chapter of his Hall of Fame career. Leaf has to see that and make him think about a career that could have been. If he can share that message to a younger generation of football player, here’s hoping they listen intently. Take Johnny Manziel, for example.
During an appearance on Friday’s edition of The Dan Patrick Show, Leaf discussed the troubled Browns quarterback and drew parallels to himself.
“It feels like I’m holding up a mirror. When I hear some stories that come out I think ‘Oh my God, I did that.’ That’s how I behaved.”
“The ones that unconditionally love [Manziel], they do [know Manziel, the person],” Leaf said of Manziel’s off-field troubles. “Those are the ones that want to wrap their arms around him and he’s just pushed everybody away probably like ‘I can deal with this on my own.‘”
Leaf even admits he may feel good today but his struggles are still a day-to-day battle. We all love a good rebound story, and stories like Leaf’s has potential to make a difference. He may not have had the great football career, but sometimes you can have a lasting legacy in a much more important way.
