Ryan Leaf in his own words...

Feel like every two years we get an alternating story of either "Ryan's leaf is recovering and coaching and finally at peace with his bust status" or "Ryan leaf arrested after drunkenly smashing a beer bottle over a small child's head and snorting some cocaine right after"

NFL should have players like Leaf speak to rookies every year about thing that could go wrong.

No doubt the guy is an addict. I wouldn't lend the guy a five dollar bill, but I respect him actually owning his addiction and speaking out about it while trying to better others. That's not to say he won't slip up next week with some outrageous story, but I still thought it was worth a share.

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Like so many... This dude had the world at his fingertips and threw it all away.. I hope he can get well and lead A decent life.... He had A gift that most would dream of.... Shame.........

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I think he explains very well why that is so common with athletes at that level. You have had no real accountability for your whole life because sports covers it all up. You're emotionally stunted and like a 13 year old kid as an adult.

Then you are at a point where you have the money and power and influence to do whatever you want. There is really nobody at that point that can stop you.

I'm not saying it's right or normal, but it's understandable. You need a strong and moral support system from the start to keep you grounded and accountable. That comes from a combination of parents/upbringing, environment, personality traits, ect.

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This dude had the world at his fingertips and threw it all away..

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At one time this appeared true. But he sucked in the NFL so he really wasn't a superstar after all. I believe his problems were indicative of a fall from grace. He was considered potentially one of the best QB's in the world and within a couple of years he was being laughed at for how bad he was at the pro level.

Chris Carter speaks every year bout his battles with drugs & from all accounts, pulls no punches. The former RB from Ohio State who ended up in prison used to speak, too. Problem is, the NFL cann't make rookies listen.

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NFL should have players like Leaf speak to rookies every year about thing that could go wrong.

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All their agents give them the talk. But it's hard to relinquish 20 years of culture after a 1 hour motivational speech.