Ryan Leaf Ryan David Leaf ( born May 15 , 1976 ) is a retired American football player who 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 , and also spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks . Leaf had a successful college career at Washington State University , where he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy after his junior year . He was selected as the second overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft , but his career was short and interrupted by poor play and injuries . An episode of " NFL Top 10 " ranked him as the No . 1 " draft bust " in NFL history . After his NFL career ended , Leaf completed his degree at Washington State and became an unpaid volunteer quarterbacks coach at West Texas A & M University in 2006 . In 2008 , Leaf resigned after allegedly asking a player for pain medication , and Leaf would later encounter legal troubles involving drugs beginning in 2010 after a Texas judge sentenced him to 10 years ' probation . Two years later , Leaf pled guilty to felony burglary and drug possession in Montana . After a suspended sentence with a stint in drug rehabilitation , Leaf began serving a seven - year sentence in state prison in December 2012 . College career . After leading Charles M . Russell High School to the 1992 Montana state title , he considered playing college football as a linebacker at the University of Miami . He chose to be a quarterback for the Washington State Cougars instead after head coach Mike Price , who had coached longtime Patriot starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe , promised him that he would play in the Rose Bowl . ( Leaf didn ' t know at the time that the Cougars had last played there in 1931 . ) He played in 32 games for Washington State , starting 24 of them . In his junior year , he averaged 330 . 6 yards passing per game and threw for a then Pac - 10 conference record 33 touchdown s . He also led the Cougars to a win over the Washington Huskies ( 41 - 35 ) for the first time in Seattle ' s Husky Stadium since 1985 , and helped bring the Cougars their first Pac - 10 championship in school history . Despite his strong early showing in the 1998 Rose Bowl , Washington State was defeated 21 - 16 by the eventual national champion Michigan Wolverines . Leaf was a finalist in balloting for the Heisman Trophy that year , which is given annually to the " most outstanding " player in American college football voted in by media figures and former players . He finished third behind the winner , defensive back Charles Woodson of Michigan and fellow quarterback Peyton Manning of Tennessee . He was named Pac - 10 Offensive Player of the Year , was named first - team All - America n by " The Sporting News " , and finished second in the nation in passer rating . After the Rose Bowl , he decided to forego his senior year at Washington State and enter the 1998 NFL Draft . NFL career . 1998 Draft . Peyton Manning and Leaf were widely considered the two best players available in the 1998 draft , and scouts and analysts debated which should be selected first . Many favored Leaf ' s stronger arm and greater potential , while others deemed Manning the more mature player and the safer pick . Most observers , however , believed that it would not greatly matter whether Manning or Leaf was drafted first because either would greatly benefit his team . The Indianapolis Colts owned the first draft pick that year . Team scouts favored Leaf but Colt president Bill Polian and coaching staff preferred Manning , especially after discovering during individual workouts that he could throw harder than Leaf . Manning also impressed the team during his interview , while Leaf missed his . The San Diego Chargers needed a new quarterback after having scored the fewest touchdowns in the league in the previous season . To obtain the second draft pick , the team traded its third overall pick , a future first round pick , a second round pick , and three - time Pro Bowl er Eric Metcalf to the Arizona Cardinals , guaranteeing the Chargers the right to draft whichever of the two quarterbacks Indianapolis did not take first . Manning was drafted first by the Colts and Leaf second by the Chargers , who signed him to a four - year contract worth $ 31 . 25 million , including a guaranteed $ 11 . 25 million signing bonus , the largest ever paid to a rookie at the time . Leaf said , " I ' m looking forward to a 15 - year career , a couple of trips to the Super Bowl , and a parade through downtown San Diego . " The night after the draft , Leaf flew to Las Vegas , Nevada on the jet of Chargers owner Alex Spanos and partied all night ; the following day Leaf yawned during his first news conference . San Diego Chargers ( 1998 – 2000 ) . 1998 season . San Diego ' s high hopes for Leaf were soon dashed . To begin with , his rookie season was marred by poor behavior . Before the season even started , he skipped the final day of a symposium mandatory for all NFL draftees and was fined $ 10 , 000 . In a prank customarily played on rookies , a group of Chargers went out to dinner during training camp and charged the meal to Leaf ' s credit card . Rather than taking it in stride , he complained to Charger general manager Bobby Beathard and refused to pay , much to the annoyance of his teammates . Several days later , during a play in practice resulting in a Leaf interception , superstar linebacker Junior Seau knocked him down with a hard hit , earning high - fives from teammates . Leaf did well in the preseason and led the Chargers to victory in the first two regular - season games . The Chargers won the season opener on September 6 , 1998 16 - 14 over the Buffalo Bills despite mistakes from Leaf such as fumbling his first snap and throwing two interception s ; Buffalo penalties voided two would - be interceptions from Leaf . In the game , Leaf ' s 6 - yard touchdown pass to Bryan Still that followed a 67 - yard pass to Still gave San Diego a 10 - 0 lead . However , late in the game , San Diego fell behind 14 - 13 after a Leaf interception . Leaf completed 16 of 31 passes for 192 yards in the opener and 13 of 24 passes for 179 yards ( with 31 rushing yards in 7 carries ) in the second game , a 13 - 7 win over the Tennessee Oilers . In the third game of the season , Leaf completed only one of 15 passes for four yards , threw two interception s and fumble d three times in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs . In Week 4 ( September 28 ) , coach Kevin Gilbride benched Leaf and replaced him with Craig Whelihan after Leaf threw 4 interceptions in the first half against the New York Giants . The following game on October 4 against the Indianapolis Colts matched Leaf against the number - one 1998 draft pick Peyton Manning . Indianapolis won 17 - 12 , an both quarterbacks completed 12 of 23 passes , but Leaf threw for 160 yards ( 23 more than Manning ) , and while both quarterbacks had an interception each , only Manning threw a touchdown . Manning was never sacked , while Leaf was sacked four times . Inside the final two minutes and San Diego down 14 - 6 , Leaf ' s 56 - yard pass to Charlie Jones set up a one - yard Natrone Means touchdown run , but Leaf ' s possibly tying two - point conversion pass to Webster Slaughter was incomplete . Whelihan replaced Leaf on November 8 after Leaf completed only 4 of 15 passes and became starter on a permanent basis afterwards . After nine games , Leaf threw 13 interceptions to 2 touchdowns . In ten games that season , Leaf threw only those two touchdown passes but fifteen interceptions , passing for 1 , 289 yards but completing only 45 . 3 % , with an abysmally poor quarterback rating of 39 . Leaf related poorly to both the media and his teammates , whom he tended to blame for his poor play . In a locker - room incident during Leaf ' s rookie year , he was caught on camera screaming " Knock it off ! " at " San Diego Union Tribune " reporter Jay Posner , and was physically restrained by Seau . Another on - camera incident showed Leaf reacting to heckling from a fan during practice , and two coaches had to restrain him and escort him off the field . He soon developed a reputation for a poor work ethic to the point of occasionally being found on the golf course while the other quarterbacks were studying film . After Leaf ' s rookie season ended , Charger safety Rodney Harrison described it as " a nightmare you can ' t even imagine , " adding : " If I had to go through another year like that , I ' d probably quit playing . " 1999 season . Leaf missed his second season due to a shoulder injury suffered 20 minutes into the Chargers ' first training camp workout on July 23 , 1999 . Leaf had surgery to fix a labral tear in his throwing shoulder . He was placed on injured reserve but made headlines in early November when he got into a shouting match with GM Bobby Beathard and one of the coaches , resulting in a fine , a suspension without pay and an apology by Leaf ( four weeks later ) . During his suspension , he was caught on video playing flag football at a San Diego park , a violation of his contract according to Charger management . 2000 season . In the final game of the 2000 preseason , Leaf completed a pass to Trevor Gaylor to seal a 24 - 20 win over the Arizona Cardinals . After the game , he appeared on the cover of the September 4 , 2000 issue of " Sports Illustrated " along with headline " Back from the Brink " . The cover story characterized his comeback as " an ascent from pariah to possible standout pro passer " . He started the first two games of the 2000 season but completed less than half of his pass attempts and threw five interceptions but only one touchdown . In the season opener on September 4 , a 9 - 6 loss to the Oakland Raiders , Leaf completed 17 of 39 passes for 180 yards and threw three interceptions , including one on a 4th - and - inches play with 1 : 37 left and sealing the Raiders victory . After the game , Leaf ' s left hand was swollen , and a late hit from Regan Upshaw gave Leaf a chin gash that required nearly eight stitches . The following game , a 28 - 27 loss to the New Orleans Saints , Leaf completed 12 of 24 passes for 134 yards and threw his first touchdown pass since his rookie season , a 20 - yard pass to Curtis Conway ; however , Leaf threw two interceptions , including one that ended the Chargers ' final drive . Coach Mike Riley started Moses Moreno for the Week 3 game , but Leaf took over after Moreno went down with a shoulder injury . Leaf injured his wrist when he threw an interception in the Week 4 game and next played in Week 11 . By October , Leaf speculated that the Chargers would release him after the season . Late that month , reports suggested that Leaf lied about a hand injury to get out of practice and play golf instead . In the Week 11 game on November 12 against the Miami Dolphins , Leaf replaced Moreno mid - game . Leaf threw an interception on his fourth snap , led a touchdown drive in the Chargers ' next series , and left the game with nearly a minute to go after straining a hamstring on a scramble . This game was the first since 1993 where three quarterbacks for a team - in this case Leaf , Moreno , and Jim Harbaugh - threw interceptions in one game . On November 19 against the Denver Broncos , Leaf completed 13 of 27 passes and reached career single - game highs in quarterback rating ( 111 . 8 ) , passing yards ( 311 ) , and passing touchdowns ( 3 ) , but the Chargers lost the game 38 - 37 . After an 0 - 11 start , the Chargers got their first win on November 26 , 17 - 16 over the Kansas City Chiefs . San Diego took a 14 - 3 lead early in the second quarter after Leaf made two touchdown passes to Freddie Jones , but the offense struggled later in the game , and Leaf threw two interceptions , one of which was returned for a touchdown . Leaf would again play poorly , as he threw four interceptions on December 3 against the San Francisco 49ers and completed only 9 of 23 passes on December 10 against future Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens . He improved on December 17 , completing 23 of 43 passes for 259 yards , 2 touchdowns , and 1 interception , but San Diego lost to the Carolina Panthers 30 - 22 . In the Chargers ' final drive , with nearly two minutes remaining in the game , Leaf complete a 10 - yard pass to Curtis Conway that referees ruled was six inches short of the end zone . On first down , however , miscommunication between Leaf and running back Jermaine Fazande resulted in a fumble and 8 - yard loss , and the next two plays followed by a penalty forced a fourth down and goal 10 yards from the end zone , and Leaf ' s fourth down pass was incomplete . On the final game of the season on December 24 , Leaf made a 71 - yard touchdown pass to Jeff Graham on the first play from scrimmage , but San Diego lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 34 - 21 . In the game , Leaf completed 15 of 29 passes for 171 yards , 1 touchdown , and 1 interception and fumbled his final snap . After finishing the season 1 - 15 , the Chargers released Leaf on February 28 , 2001 . In three years with San Diego , Leaf had only four wins as a starter . For the 2000 season , Leaf completed 50 % ( 161 of 322 ) of his passes for 1 , 883 yards , 11 touchdowns , and 18 interceptions . Tampa Bay Buccaneers ( 2001 ) . On March 2 , 2001 , two days after the Chargers released him , Leaf was claimed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , who were intrigued by his physical talent and planned to develop him more slowly , giving him time to watch and learn . Leaf ' s wrist had still not healed , and doctors recommended surgery . After mediocre preseason performances , he was asked to accept demotion to fourth quarterback status on the team and accept a lower salary . He refused , and was released on September 3 , five days before the start of the 2001 season . Dallas Cowboys ( 2001 ) . His next attempt at a comeback was with the Dallas Cowboys , who signed him a few weeks after the Buccaneers released him , but he failed his first physical and was let go on September 5 . After regular starter Quincy Carter suffered an injury , the Cowboys signed Leaf on October 12 . The Cowboys released him in May 2002 after he had appeared in only four games — all losses — throwing for 494 yards with only one touchdown but three interceptions . Retirement and legacy . Days later , he got still another chance when the Seattle Seahawks signed him to a one - year contract , planning to let him develop slowly ( as the Bucs had done ) to allow his still - injured wrist time to heal . He attended the team ' s spring minicamps and seemed upbeat about his new team , but then abruptly retired at the age of 26 just before the start of the Seahawks ' 2002 training camp , offering no explanation at first . Seahawk coach and general manager Mike Holmgren told the media Leaf ' s wrist didn ' t bother him with either the Cowboys or the Seahawks . During his brief career in the NFL , Leaf appeared in 25 games and made 21 starts . He completed 317 of 655 ( 48 . 4 % ) passes for 3 , 666 yards , with 14 touchdowns and 36 interceptions and a career quarterback rating of only 50 . 0 . After hearing of Leaf ' s retirement , Rodney Harrison , one of his most outspoken critics on the Chargers , said , " He took the money and ran . Personally , I could never rest good at night knowing my career ended like that . Normally in this game , you get back what you put into it , and he pretty much got back what he put into it " . The ESPN sports network put Leaf first on its list of 25 biggest sports flops between 1979 & 2004 . NBC Sports commentator Michael Ventre called him " the biggest bust in the history of professional sports " . Since Leaf ' s retirement , sportswriters and commentators have characterized subsequent drafted potential NFL quarterback flops as " the next Ryan Leaf " . In 2010 , the NFL Network listed Leaf as the number one NFL quarterback bust of all time . Post - playing career . After retiring from professional football , Leaf returned to San Diego and became a financial consultant . In 2004 , Leaf resumed his education at Washington State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in humanities in May 2005 . The " San Diego Union - Tribune " reported that among his classes in the spring 2005 was a sports management course titled " Media Relations " . He then joined Don Carthel ' s West Texas A & M University staff as a volunteer quarterbacks coach in 2006 , commenting , " About a year after I retired from playing , I decided that I wanted to get back to college , where I had the greatest time of my life , and to get involved with college football . " He also admitted that he was unprepared for the NFL when he was drafted back in 1998 . In April 2008 , ESPN described Leaf as having come to terms with his past . He said at the time , " When playing football became a job , it lost its luster for me . I kind of got out of the spotlight , and life ' s never been this good . " But in November 2008 he was put on indefinite leave , and resigned the next day , from his coaching position at West Texas A & M for allegedly asking one of his players for a pill to help him deal with pain in his wrist from past injuries . In October 2009 he went to work in Vancouver , British Columbia as business - development manager for a travel company . In December 2010 , he signed a contract with Pullman , Washington - based Crimson Oak Publishing to write no fewer than three memoir s . Crimson Oak describes its mission as publishing books with themes of " hope , possibility , and determination . " Crimson Oak released Leaf ' s first book " 596 Switch : The Improbable Journey From The Palouse to Pasadena " in October 2011 . The book focuses on the 1997 Washington State football team that made the 1998 Rose Bowl . Personal life . In 2001 Leaf married a Charger cheerleader who was also the daughter of financial radio host Ray Lucia . They separated in November 2003 and eventually divorced . His younger brother Brady was a backup quarterback and cornerback for the Pac - 12 Oregon Ducks football team . In September 2010 , the Associated Press reported that Leaf was spending much time with his family in Montana . In June 2011 , he had a benign tumor from his brainstem surgically removed . Legal troubles . Back in May 2009 , he had been indicted on burglary and controlled - substance charges in Texas . He was in a drug - rehabilitation program in British Columbia at the time of the indictment , and was arrested by customs agents at the border on his return to the U . S . On June 17 , he posted a $ 45 , 000 bond in Washington state for the criminal charges in Texas . In April 2010 , he pled guilty in Amarillo , Texas to seven counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and one count of delivery of a simulated controlled substance , all felonies . State District Judge John B . Board sentenced him to ten years of probation and fined him $ 20 , 000 . On March 30 , 2012 , he was arrested on burglary , theft and drug charges in his home town of Great Falls , Montana . Four days later he was arrested again on burglary , theft , and two counts of criminal possession of dangerous drugs . As part of a plea bargain on May 8 , 2012 , he pled guilty to one count of felony burglary and one count of criminal possession of a dangerous drug . In late April , Texas authorities issued two arrest warrants for him and set his bond at $ 126 , 000 . On June 19 , Leaf was sentenced to seven years in custody of the Montana Department of Corrections , with two years suspended if he abided by the conditions imposed by District Judge Kenneth Neil in Montana . He was to have spent the first nine months of his sentence in a lockdown addiction treatment facility , Nexus Treatment Center in Lewiston , MT . But on January 17 , 2013 , Leaf was remanded to Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge after being found guilty of " behavior that violated conditions of his drug treatment placement . " He was also accused of threatening a program staff member . Back on December 29 , 2012 , he had been transferred from Nexus Treatment Center to Deer Lodge prison . Ryan violated conditions of his treatment plan by threatening a staff member , wearing clothes he was told he was not allowed to wear , and volunteering his services when he was told that he wasn ' t allowed to do so . Writing . Leaf , Ryan D . 2011 . " 596 Switch : The Improbable Journey From The Palouse to Pasadena " . Crimson Oak Publishing .