{"id":52239,"date":"2024-04-08T21:37:15","date_gmt":"2024-04-09T01:37:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/?p=52239"},"modified":"2024-04-08T21:37:15","modified_gmt":"2024-04-09T01:37:15","slug":"genesee-county-former-nfl-quarterback-ryan-leaf-to-speak-about-substance-use-disorder-mental-health-on-may-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2024\/04\/08\/genesee-county-former-nfl-quarterback-ryan-leaf-to-speak-about-substance-use-disorder-mental-health-on-may-8\/","title":{"rendered":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf to speak about substance use disorder, mental health on May 8"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:42% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"460\" height=\"466\" data-attachment-id=\"52240\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2024\/04\/08\/genesee-county-former-nfl-quarterback-ryan-leaf-to-speak-about-substance-use-disorder-mental-health-on-may-8\/leaf_ham_1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/leaf_ham_1.jpg?fit=460%2C466&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"460,466\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-title=\"leaf_ham_1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/leaf_ham_1.jpg?fit=460%2C466&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/leaf_ham_1.jpg?resize=460%2C466&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-52240 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/leaf_ham_1.jpg?w=460&amp;ssl=1 460w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/leaf_ham_1.jpg?resize=296%2C300&amp;ssl=1 296w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/leaf_ham_1.jpg?resize=148%2C150&amp;ssl=1 148w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf, right, and former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jack Ham at a Legends &amp; Stars event in February 2023 at Batavia Downs Gaming. Now a motivational speaker, Leaf is scheduled to speak at Genesee Community College on May 8. (<em>Photo by Mike Pettinella<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Press release<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cTwelve years ago today I woke up on the floor of a jail cell&#8230;with no hope or possible idea what could be! There was no possibility of this life, no love of my life, no career, no future, no family, no recovery,&#8221; Leaf wrote on X. &#8220;You can&#8217;t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending! There is Hope!\u201d \u2013 Ryan Leaf, April 1, 2024.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1998, the San Diego Chargers selected Ryan Leaf, standout quarterback from Washington State University, as the No. 2 overall pick in the National Football League Draft behind Peyton Manning. A finalist for the Heisman Trophy following his junior year, the future looked bright for the Great Falls, Mont., native.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, dreams of a storied NFL career turned into a nightmare for the strong-armed 6-foot5-inch, 235-pound signal caller as issues involving bad behavior, injuries, work ethic and focus &#8212; beyond poor play \u2013 limited his time as a pro to four nonproductive years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leaf went into a downward spiral, eventually ending up in prison for burglary and drug-related offenses \u2013 a period of time he referred to in his statement above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although he wasn\u2019t able to survive in the world of professional football, Leaf has turned his life around \u2013 carving out a respected space throughout the United States as a motivational speaker and ambassador for sobriety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said he has been in recovery from substance use disorder for the past 11 years, and has devoted his life to helping others overcome the stigma of mental health and addiction as a program ambassador for Transcend Recovery Community and CEO\/President of RAM Consultant, Inc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leaf, 47, is coming to Batavia in May to share his experiences, both triumph and challenges, and offer invaluable lessons in resilience and the power of determination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAsking for help is the strongest thing you\u2019ll ever do,\u201d Leaf says, referring to those struggling with substance use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leaf also works as a college football analyst for the ESPN network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UConnectCare (formerly Genesee\/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse) invites the public to attend his presentation, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. May 8 at Genesee Community College, Room T102.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To reserve your seat, call 585-815-1883 or send an email to&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:prevention@uconnectcare.org\">prevention@uconnectcare.org<\/a>&nbsp;by May 1.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf, right, and former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jack Ham at a Legends &amp; Stars event in February 2023 at Batavia Downs Gaming. Now a motivational speaker, Leaf is scheduled to speak at Genesee Community College on May 8. (Photo by Mike Pettinella) Press release \u201cTwelve years \u2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"continue-reading-button\"> <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2024\/04\/08\/genesee-county-former-nfl-quarterback-ryan-leaf-to-speak-about-substance-use-disorder-mental-health-on-may-8\/\">Continue reading<i class=\"crycon-right-dir\"><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52240,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[23],"tags":[4254],"class_list":["post-52239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genesee-county","tag-ryan-leaf"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8eTP4-dAz","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":52934,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2024\/05\/08\/batavia-ex-nfl-qb-ryan-leaf-urges-students-to-prioritize-attitude-behavior-effort\/","url_meta":{"origin":52239,"position":0},"title":"BATAVIA\/Ex-NFL QB Ryan Leaf urges students to prioritize attitude, behavior, effort","author":"aka","date":"May 8, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"By Mike PettinellaUConnectCare Publicist Attitude. Behavior. Effort. \u201cThose are three things you can control,\u201d said Ryan Leaf, former National Football League quarterback and now a sought-after motivational speaker, to about 300 high school juniors and seniors this morning during a prom awareness event at the Genesee Community College gymnasium. Leaf,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Batavia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Batavia","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/gennesse-county\/batavia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240508_092014-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240508_092014-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240508_092014-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240508_092014-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240508_092014-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":68581,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/30\/genesee-county-city-of-batavia-announces-annual-fall-leaf-collection-program\/","url_meta":{"origin":52239,"position":1},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/City of Batavia announces annual Fall Leaf Collection Program","author":"aka","date":"September 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Press release The\u00a0City of Batavia Department of Public Works is pleased to announce the start of the annual Fall Leaf Collection Program in the coming weeks. As the season changes and leaves begin to fall, residents are reminded of the proper placement requirements to help ensure safe, efficient, and effective\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;City of Batavia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"City of Batavia","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/city-of-batavia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/thumbnail_image003.jpg?fit=537%2C248&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/thumbnail_image003.jpg?fit=537%2C248&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/thumbnail_image003.jpg?fit=537%2C248&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":65540,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2025\/06\/22\/genesee-county-spartans-lose-game-starting-quarterback\/","url_meta":{"origin":52239,"position":2},"title":"Genesee County Spartans lose game, starting quarterback","author":"aka","date":"June 22, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Genesee County Spartans\u2019 defenders Ryley Elliott, Martin Krayna and Jack Fox-Salah try to break through against the Upstate Predators\u2019 offensive line during Saturday night\u2019s semipro football game at Pembroke Town Park. The Spartans lost, 52-14. Photos by Lauren Donovan. BY MIKE PETTINELLAGenesee County Spartans The Upstate Predators put together a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Genesee County&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Genesee County","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/genesee-county\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/tackled-1.jpg?fit=800%2C1181&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/tackled-1.jpg?fit=800%2C1181&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/tackled-1.jpg?fit=800%2C1181&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/tackled-1.jpg?fit=800%2C1181&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7927,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2019\/02\/17\/genesee-county-batavia-bills-quarterback-josh-allen-signs-autographs-at-batavia-downs\/","url_meta":{"origin":52239,"position":3},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Batavia\/Bills quarterback Josh Allen signs autographs at Batavia Downs","author":"aka","date":"February 17, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/9IGniJqF_4Y Bills quarterback Josh Allen appeared at the Legends and Stars Sports Card show at Batavia Downs on Sunday afternoon. Sports fans of all ages showed up at the weekend long event which set a record of about 650 people attending on Saturday and close to 650 on Sunday. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Batavia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Batavia","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/gennesse-county\/batavia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/20190217_182828.jpg?fit=675%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/20190217_182828.jpg?fit=675%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/20190217_182828.jpg?fit=675%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":65665,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2025\/06\/29\/genesee-county-pitts-fires-two-td-passes-for-spartans-in-18-14-loss-to-undefeated-lockport\/","url_meta":{"origin":52239,"position":4},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Pitts fires two TD passes for Spartans in 18-14 loss to undefeated Lockport","author":"aka","date":"June 29, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Quarterback Aiden Pitts looks for running room during the Genesee County Spartans' semipro football game on Saturday night against the host Lockport Wildcats. Photo by Lauren Donovan. BY MIKE PETTINELLAGenesee County Spartans Press release: The Genesee County Spartans gave the undefeated Lockport Wildcats all they could handle on Saturday night\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Genesee County&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Genesee County","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/genesee-county\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/aiden-pitts-2-1.jpg?fit=800%2C563&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/aiden-pitts-2-1.jpg?fit=800%2C563&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/aiden-pitts-2-1.jpg?fit=800%2C563&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/aiden-pitts-2-1.jpg?fit=800%2C563&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":76589,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2026\/07\/03\/genesee-county-spartans-break-into-the-win-column-with-victory-over-charlotte-colonials\/","url_meta":{"origin":52239,"position":5},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Spartans break into the win column with victory over Charlotte Colonials","author":"aka","date":"July 3, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"BY MIKE PETTINELLAGenesee County Spartans Mikquon Williams saw that the Genesee County Spartans were heading in the wrong direction, so the 6-foot-1, 350-pound offensive lineman known as \u201cBig Mike\u201d stepped up in a big way \u2013 trading in his jersey to become head coach of the Northeastern Football Alliance football\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Genesee County&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Genesee County","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/genesee-county\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/barr-catch-scaled.jpeg?fit=1102%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/barr-catch-scaled.jpeg?fit=1102%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/barr-catch-scaled.jpeg?fit=1102%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/barr-catch-scaled.jpeg?fit=1102%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/barr-catch-scaled.jpeg?fit=1102%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/leaf_ham_1.jpg?fit=460%2C466&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52239"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52239\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52242,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52239\/revisions\/52242"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}