Former NFL QB Ryan Leaf Reveals His Inspiration for Turning His Life Around and Helping Others
Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf’s rise and fall from being a high profile draft pick, to his early departure from the league, to being arrested on burglary and controlled substance charges, has been well documented. Leaf was the second pick in the 1998 draft, after future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, but was out of the league after just 4 seasons. Then came multiple arrests. Leaf stopped by Ellen on Tuesday and revealed his inspiration for turning his life around: Ellen.
“I had a 13-inch television at the end of my bed, and I’d watch you. And you’d live this public life and had a platform of service on a daily basis. It made me feel something. I felt like a human being again. It gave me my humanity back. It really did,” Leaf told Ellen DeGeneres.
While he was still in prison, Leaf turned that inspiration into action, by helping other inmates who didn’t know how to read, learn to read. Since his release in 2014, Leaf continues to try to help others. A few years ago he started the Focused Intensity Foundation, a nonprofit that raises money for those fighting addiction, or those with mental health issues, to get the treatment they need.
Leaf explained the reason he started the foundation, saying, “When I got out of prison, I couldn’t afford to go to treatment. And if the NFL didn’t have grants available to me, I wouldn’t have been able to get the help I needed. And I don’t ever want somebody who really wants help and wants to change their life, not be able to do it because they can’t afford it.”
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