FIRST WORD
I developed this idea that I was a better human being than everybody else because I played a silly sport.”
Former No. 2 overall pick Ryan Leaf to The (Nashville) Tennessean in advance of a speech he was giving on addiction, prison, redemption and the excruciating journey from NFL draft bust to recovery champion. Leaf, 42, went from a disastrous career, opioid addiction, 32 months in prison on a 2012 felony burglary conviction to having a 19-month-old son with his fiancee, a wedding this month and a documentary series coming on other famous “busts” in sports. He just celebrated seven years of sobriety and is a college football color analyst for ESPN.