“I’m lazy and dishonest and selfish. These were behaviors I had before my addiction kicked in.”
Wow, who in his right mind would acknowledge such negativity about himself? And when facing a decade of prison, would go on to say:
“Five to ten years of Ryan-free drama for this community — particularly for this nation — would be pure bliss.”
Actually, someone perhaps IN their right mind might only be this honest, and yes, that person is Ryan Leaf. While most of our readers know we predicted Peyton Manning‘s stardom over Ryan Leaf‘s back in the late 90s while they were still in college, we certainly didn’t foresee Leaf’s complete downfall off the field. It’s tragic, really, and we only have sad thoughts for Ryan.
We haven’t written on the subject, but we finally felt it was time to do so. The quotes above were made by Leaf back in 2012 when he was convicted of drug and felony charges and sentenced to serve a five-year sentence with the Montana Department of Corrections. Leaf was released from prison in December of last year, and although he’s out, he still is “on probation and has been placed under the supervision of the Great Falls (Mont.) Probation and Parole Department.”
It goes without saying that Ryan, a #7 FEIL, was brutally honest with himself and everyone else in the courtroom that day. He went on to say, with a broken voice, that he caused a lot of pain to his family. “They believe I’ve held them for ransom for 36 years, and I don’t know why I should have to do that any more.” Remember that #7s are dominant Left brain Inanimates, and thus have a critical eye for right and wrong (often criticizing others more than themselves). Leaf turned this critiquing gaze on himself, but notice how he even went a step further in being candid. “These behaviors I had before my addiction kicked in.” While drugs certainly played a role in causing him to deviate from the typical #7 path where responsibilities are taken seriously and standards are often held high, the problem lay within Leaf’s character. To be sure, he was known as quite of a “jerk” even before coming into the league (arrogant, etc.), and Niednagel personally saw this lack of character in the youngster after having met with him. With a teachable spirit and a humble attitude, Ryan Leaf could have possibly gone on to become a “good” quarterback, but alas, his story has been written, and it’s a tragic story.
We certainly hope the future bodes well for Ryan. It’s one thing to acknowledge failures, but another to turn from them. That’s difficult for anyone of any Brain Type especially without divine help from above.
Written by: Staff
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