Ryan Leaf

Ryan David Leaf (born May 15, 1976) is a former American football player. He was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He played for the San Diego Chargers and the Dallas Cowboys between 1998 and 2001. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks.

Leaf had a successful college career at Washington State University.^[1] He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.^[2] He was the second overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft.^[3] The first pick was Peyton Manning.

Leaf's professional career was short and interrupted by injuries. During his brief career in the NFL, Leaf was in 25 games and made 21 starts. The sports network ESPN listed Leaf first on their list of the 25 Biggest Sports Flops between 1979-2004.^[4]

On March 30, 2012 Leaf was arrested on burglary, theft, and drug charges in his hometown of Great Falls, Montana.^[5][6] Four days later, Leaf was arrested again for the same crimes.^[7]

1. ↑ Moran, Malcolm (1997-12-29). "A Promise Delivered at Washington State". The New York Times. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
2. ↑ Heisman Trophy Balloting Archived 2009-09-20 at the Wayback Machine Heisman Trophy official website, Retrieved on 2006-01-29
3. ↑ Chappell, Mike (2012-03-07). "How the Colts almost passed up Manning 14 years ago". Indianapolis Star. Gannett. Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
4. ↑ ESPN 25 Biggest Sports Flops ESPN, 2004. Retrieved on 2006-07-29.
5. ↑ Kimball Bennion (March 30, 2012). "Ryan Leaf Arrested on Drug, Burglary, Theft Charges". GreatFallsTribune.com. Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
6. ↑ Blaney, Betsy (March 30, 2012). "Ex-NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf arrested in Montana". U-T San Diego. Associated Press. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
7. ↑ Matt Volz (April 2, 2012). "Ex-NFL QB Ryan Leaf arrested 2nd time in Montana". Associated Press.^{[permanent dead link]}