Former WSU star Ryan Leaf kicked out of drug treatment center
HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf has been moved from a drug treatment center to the Montana State Prison for threatening a staff member and other unspecified behavioral problems at the center, a corrections official said Thursday.
The former San Diego Chargers and Washington State Cougars quarterback was charged last spring with breaking into two houses and stealing prescription painkillers near his hometown of Great Falls. He pleaded guilty in May to reduced charges, and his five-year sentence called for spending nine months in a locked drug treatment facility as an alternative to prison.
Leaf said then that he was looking forward to the treatment at Nexus Treatment Center in Lewistown. But on Thursday, the Montana Department of Corrections released a statement by Great Falls regional probation and parole administrator Dawn Handa that said Leaf will now serve his sentence in the Deer Lodge prison.
"The Montana Department of Corrections terminated Leaf from the treatment program and placed him in prison after he was found guilty of behavior that violated conditions of his drug treatment program. The violations included threatening a program staff member," Handa said in the statement.
Corrections officials did not immediately respond to a request for details of the violations or the threats.
Leaf's attorney, Kenneth Olson, did not immediately return a call for comment.
It was unclear when the threats or other behavior issues occurred. The Department of Corrections' website listing offenders says Leaf has been an inmate since Jan. 10.
The Great Falls Tribune first reported Leaf's imprisonment Thursday.
James Farren, the district attorney in the Texas county where Leaf was given probation in a plea agreement for drug charges in 2010, said his office will move to bring Leaf back to Randall County, where he could stand trial.
If Leaf ends up getting prison time from a judge in Texas, he would return to Montana to serve out his time there. He would get credit for his Montana prison time in Texas, Farren said.
Farren said he gave Leaf a chance with the Texas plea deal. The Montana courts gave him another chance, he said.
"It doesn't matter how many chances he gets," Farren said.
Leaf was the No. 2 pick in the 1998 NFL draft, but his short-lived pro career earned him the reputation as one of the biggest busts in NFL history.
An investigation began in March 2011, after Great Falls postal workers reported they were suspicious of frequent packages Leaf received by paying COD charges of $500.
Central Montana Drug Task Force officers and Leaf's parole officer confronted the former quarterback and found a container with 28 oxycodone pills inside and another container with a prescription made out to an acquaintance.
The acquaintance said Leaf had entered his home without permission, and Leaf was arrested.
Shortly after his release, two Cascade County residents told authorities they found Leaf inside their home.
The couple reported three different prescription medications missing.
The former San Diego Chargers and Washington State Cougars quarterback was charged last spring with breaking into two houses and stealing prescription painkillers near his hometown of Great Falls. He pleaded guilty in May to reduced charges, and his five-year sentence called for spending nine months in a locked drug treatment facility as an alternative to prison.
Leaf said then that he was looking forward to the treatment at Nexus Treatment Center in Lewistown. But on Thursday, the Montana Department of Corrections released a statement by Great Falls regional probation and parole administrator Dawn Handa that said Leaf will now serve his sentence in the Deer Lodge prison.
"The Montana Department of Corrections terminated Leaf from the treatment program and placed him in prison after he was found guilty of behavior that violated conditions of his drug treatment program. The violations included threatening a program staff member," Handa said in the statement.
Corrections officials did not immediately respond to a request for details of the violations or the threats.
Leaf's attorney, Kenneth Olson, did not immediately return a call for comment.
It was unclear when the threats or other behavior issues occurred. The Department of Corrections' website listing offenders says Leaf has been an inmate since Jan. 10.
The Great Falls Tribune first reported Leaf's imprisonment Thursday.
James Farren, the district attorney in the Texas county where Leaf was given probation in a plea agreement for drug charges in 2010, said his office will move to bring Leaf back to Randall County, where he could stand trial.
If Leaf ends up getting prison time from a judge in Texas, he would return to Montana to serve out his time there. He would get credit for his Montana prison time in Texas, Farren said.
Farren said he gave Leaf a chance with the Texas plea deal. The Montana courts gave him another chance, he said.
"It doesn't matter how many chances he gets," Farren said.
Leaf was the No. 2 pick in the 1998 NFL draft, but his short-lived pro career earned him the reputation as one of the biggest busts in NFL history.
An investigation began in March 2011, after Great Falls postal workers reported they were suspicious of frequent packages Leaf received by paying COD charges of $500.
Central Montana Drug Task Force officers and Leaf's parole officer confronted the former quarterback and found a container with 28 oxycodone pills inside and another container with a prescription made out to an acquaintance.
The acquaintance said Leaf had entered his home without permission, and Leaf was arrested.
Shortly after his release, two Cascade County residents told authorities they found Leaf inside their home.
The couple reported three different prescription medications missing.
I met Leaf at Junior Seau's celebrity golf tourney just months after he signed with San Diego. Being a former WSU grad....I went up to Leaf and told him it was great to meet him and said WSU was proud of him...he scoffed, turned away from me and walked away....I immediately said to those around me...what a prick....hey Leaf... meet Karma...Karma meet LeafÂ
Hey everyone makes mistakes.
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Chargers....
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Seahawks....http://www.komonews.com/news/archive/4061481.html
And the Leaf goes on, and on.
That picture is perfect for the front page of LOSER magazine.
What a shame and a waste. He had some real talent and good have been great for a long long time, but he chose to do drugs instead. Hope it was worth it....
This man sounds like he has a pre-frontal lobe tumor or something. Â His behavior sounds like some kind of organic problem that isn't just about drugs. Â He really needs a serious brain scan.
How the mighty fall! Perfect example that drugs transend all classes and rip apart lives and families.
Wait until he gets to the Texas Dept of Corrections. Mr leaf will be out on a chain gang in triple digit temps. that will sweat the dope out of this Dope. your welcome.
He can afford an attorney ????
At some point, you have to wonder if it would have been better for the state to just give this addict $200 a month worth of his precious narcotics and let him curl up in a ball somewhere rather than spend $30,000 a year keeping him locked up.
All is not lost. Get it together, man. Serve your time and find a use for your strength and talents. Chin up, buttercup.Â
Leaf likes to jerk his tallywacker every night knowing that RG3 will soon replace him as the biggest bust in NFL history.Â
@SoundersCougzBravesPackers Yeah - that's real likely. I think you should ask for a repeal on  your login & registration - it wasn't worth it...
Funny how quickly people forget about UW's own Reggie Rogers who was also a draft bust and has 5 DUI's and killed three teenagers in an accident while driving drunk.
@KRM66 and that has what to do with Ryan Leaf ???
 @clem77  @KRM66  Lets see, both played college ball in WA, both were draft busts, both have substance abuse issues, and both have been in the news because of their downfall.  People like to make comments about Ryan Leaf being such a f-up, but they seem to forget that there are others that the same thing has happened to.  Â
They are pretty similar, only Ryan Leaf hasn't killed any kids...yet.Â
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I am not defending Ryan Leaf, in fact, I have met him several times and the guy was a total prick. Â
I really hope Ryan turns his life around. Everyone has their own skeletons in their closet -his is just more in the public eye.Â
Wow - getting kicked out of the center must mean someone is really special...
make sure you take some KY with you.......Go Coug!
Ha, I remember him coming into the Coug like he was a rockstar with his goon entourage and asking who was going to buy him a drink. What a goober, still is apparently.
 @Silverback201 Was that on Dad's Weekend?  I was at the Coug when he threw a fit because they wouldn't let his 18 year old cousin in the bar.  He threatened to buy the Coug and tear it down. Â
What a POS. Â Hope he gets help, I don't know how much lower he can go. Â
@KRM66 haha, I'm not sure, it was a while ago, but I do remember hearing about that gem...I think that his Dad might have been there every weekend.
I wonder if they have a prison football team like the old Burt Reynolds movie?
Ugh...this is the ultimate in "Couging up your life". Deer Lodge has got to be one of the top ten toughest prisons west of the Mississippi. Well, I hope he enjoys himself.
Well, let's see, who should we take in the first pick of the draft? Should it be Manning or Leaf? That is a tough question. I think we will take Manning because Leaf is a stupid, dumbheaded, overgrown moron that will probably be a bust and be in prison within 10 years. Manning will still be trowing touchdown passes. Good call.
Stupid is as stupid does. Stupid
Isn't it wonderful to have someone to kick around? Even better you can do it anonymously. I think the guy couldn't have it much worse at the moment, isn't that enough?
@uscit16791949: Sorry, but you make it sound like Leaf is a victim. Not so. He is the one making all the bad choices. No one has or is forcing him to behave like a prima donna.
"An investigation began in March 2011, after Great Falls postal workers reported they were suspicious of frequent packages Leaf received by paying COD charges of $500."
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Is it illegal to purchase prescription drugs online? I'm not saying that what Leaf did was ok but what concern is it of the postal service if he was? Would he have this issue if he would have paid for them online instead of COD?
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And good for the people who reported him for stealing their medications. Obviously he had a serious problem if he was spending so much money through online pharmacies and stealing from others.
Too many concussions. :-)
Lo-Ser!
The problem is its a rehab facility. Which means absolutely no medical treatment is done their other than the first couple of days to beat the DT's. Then its nothing but a standard AA format. And what is the medical cure for drug and alcohol diseases in rehabs like AA? God.lol What happens if your a rational logical atheist?lol Yeah go create your own god.
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@MPS: Don't hold back! Tell how you really feel. ;-) You are quite correct. Blindman has chosen an excellent handle. He appears to have a pre-conceived notion about life and then fabricates his world based on incorrect or no information at all. Either that or he is a troll just trying to see how many bites he can get.
 @Blindman What kind of medical treatment does he need?
Could have turned out the exact opposite but for many bad decisions along the way. Doesn't seem to have any functional brain cells left.
This guy is a mess! His life is nothing more than the butt of many jokes now. Get it together dude!
1, 2, 3,,,,,,,,, 491 strikes and you're out. Fool! Enjoy your 6x8. More than enough opportunities to turn it around and squandered all of them. Lance might be bunking w/ ya soon.