Johnny Manziel has endured lots of embarrassment since he was drafted into the NFL in 2014, from incomplete passes to compromising photos to all kinds of damning quotes from those close to him. But on Tuesday, the free agent quarterback suffered the ultimate indignity: a Ryan Leaf comparison, from the infamous Chargers bust himself.
“I can relate totally to what he’s going through,” Leaf said Monday morning on “FOX & Friends” “I’ve said it’s like holding up a mirror sometimes, seeing the behaviors that he’s exhibiting.”
Here are Leaf’s full comments:
Yikes.
Leaf was the No. 2 pick in the 1998 draft (behind Peyton Manning) but washed out of the NFL after three seasons thanks to injuries and poor performance, became addicted to painkillers and was eventually sentenced to four years in prison on burglary charges.
Now Leaf is out of prison and seems to be doing OK, but his career path is certainly not one Manziel wants to follow. Johnny Football has been better on the field than Leaf — who somehow threw 36 interceptions against only 14 touchdowns — but an even bigger disaster off it. Manziel is only 23 years old and two years removed from being a first-round pick, but he has already been arrested once and investigated by police several other times, partied when explicitly commanded not to, spent time in rehab and been released by the team that drafted him.
Like Leaf, he seems to be suffering from some kind of addiction, and like the younger Leaf, he seems incapable of combatting that addiction.
It seems the only thing that will stop Manziel from going full Leaf and transitioning fully from NFL prospect to cautionary tale is Jerry Jones’ irrational belief in him.
