FOLLOW THE PIVOT PODCAST: MERCH | https://pivotpodcast.com  YOUTUBE | https://www.youtube.com/thepivotpodcast INSTAGRAM | https://instagram.com/thepivot TWITTER | https://twitter.com/thepivot TIKTOK | https://tiktok.com/@thepivot FACEBOOK | https://www.facebook.com/thepivotpodcast FOLLOW HAPPY DAD: https://www.instagram.com/happydad FIND HAPPY DAD: https://www.happydad.com/find The former 2nd overall pick, only behind Peyton Manning in the 1998 NFL draft, Ryan Leaf shares his emotional journey and his fall from the top to finding light again after very dark times. This episode of The Pivot is a story of redemption, addiction, and a conversation about restoring faith with the former first round NFL pick, Ryan Leaf, as he sits with Fred, Channing and Ryan to open up about how the star quarterback found himself in handcuffs a few short years after being at the top of the sports world. After losing his NFL career and football, the one thing he felt defined him, Ryan tried to lean into fame and eventually turned to pills to disguise the pain. His addiction over time led to desperation and burglarizing homes trying find prescription medications and anything that he could find to feed his fix until his actions left him behind bars in prison. Considered one of the best collegiate quarterbacks during his time at Washington State, Leaf admits now he wasn't mentally prepared to be under the NFL microscope from growing up in a small town in Montana to becoming a Heisman finalist to instant stardom and wealth of the NFL. Playing for five years in the league, Ryan admits that his career was over after his third game, despite winning 2 of the 3 because of how he handled them. Blaming everyone else for his short comings and behaviors, his outbursts and arrogance cost him his career, his money and he ended up quitting thinking he was bigger than the sport itself. This choice led him further down a path of poor decisions and pills to numb the absence of the thing he loved most, football. Ryan reflects back on his depression saying he was consumed by the validation of others and tried to cover up the shame of being considered the NFL’s biggest draft bust. Looking back, Leaf explains to guys that he’s grateful for his time in prison because it allowed him to humble himself and learn to take accountability for his actions. Although he believes that rehabilitation is a better solution for nonviolent drug offenders, Leaf shares that his fellow inmates taught him some hard lessons and made him realize the blame and also how to rebuild that life wasn’t over for him. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY) 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/LA/MI/NJ/PA/TN/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA(select parishes)/MI/NJ/NY/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Void in ONT. Eligibility restrictions apply. Valid 1 per new customer. Min. $5 deposit. Min. $5 pre-game moneyline bet. Bet must win. $150 issued as six (6) $25 free bets. See terms at sportsbook.draftkings.com/footballterms. Ends 12/30/22 at 11:59PM ET. Sponsored by DK. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices