Ryan Leaf on Johnny Manziel: 'It's like holding up a mirror'
Ryan Leaf is widely recognized as one of the two biggest busts in NFL draft history, but it was his personal troubles that outweighed his struggles on the field.
Leaf mucked around the NFL for four seasons after being drafted second overall behind Peyton Manning in 1998 by the San Diego Chargers. He disappeared from the public eye until 2010 when he pleaded guilty to seven counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and one count of delivery of a simulated controlled substance, which stemmed from a painkiller addiction.
He spent two years in a Montana prison after a slew of theft, threats, and breaking and entering incidents, and he sees a similar fate for former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel.
"I can relate totally to what he's going through," Leaf told "FOX & Friends" on Monday. "I've said it's like holding up a mirror sometimes, seeing the behaviors that he's exhibiting."
Manziel has gone through two agents this offseason, was indicted on a misdemeanor assault charge, lost his endorsements and his job, and doesn't see a problem with any of it. He had immense success in college at Texas A&M, but has so far failed to replicate it in the pros.
"I had never failed until I got to the highest level, and when I did I didn't know how to deal with it in a healthy way at all. I didn't ask for help, and I didn't accept help when offered," Leaf said.
"I had many orthopedic surgeries. That's how I was introduced to the drug, but ultimately I was taking it because I had emotional problems. When I talk to young adults out there I tell them I was an addict before I ever took a drug. Because of the behaviors that I know now happened from being an addict. The fear, the judgment, the insecurity, all those things manifest themselves into that boorish behavior. The way I acted to reporters, the way I acted toward my teammates.
"This happens to anybody who is addicted to anything. It's about substance abuse, it's about anything you use as a maladaptive behavior. People use sex, people use gambling, people use alcohol, it helps them numb whatever it is that they are feeling."