{"id":52934,"date":"2024-05-08T16:11:45","date_gmt":"2024-05-08T20:11:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/?p=52934"},"modified":"2024-05-08T16:11:45","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T20:11:45","slug":"batavia-ex-nfl-qb-ryan-leaf-urges-students-to-prioritize-attitude-behavior-effort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2024\/05\/08\/batavia-ex-nfl-qb-ryan-leaf-urges-students-to-prioritize-attitude-behavior-effort\/","title":{"rendered":"BATAVIA\/Ex-NFL QB Ryan Leaf urges students to prioritize attitude, behavior, effort"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Mike Pettinella
UConnectCare Publicist<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attitude. Behavior. Effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaf, the No. 2 selection in the 1998 NFL draft (right after Peyton Manning), came to Batavia as a guest of UConnectCare (formerly Genesee\/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He is scheduled to give a free public presentation at 6 o\u2019clock tonight at Room T-102 at the college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following a stellar collegiate career at Washington State University where he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in his junior year, Leaf was drafted by the San Diego Chargers \u2013 receiving a five-year, $31 million contract, including an $11.5 million signing bonus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Great Falls, Mont. Native said that being handed that kind of money only reinforced his belief that he could do anything he wanted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMoney, power and prestige; I had it all,\u201d he said to the students from Batavia High, Oakfield-Alabama, Elba, Byron-Bergen and Lyndonville at the outset of what turned out to be a two-hour talk. \u201cI really felt that I was more important than anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With wins in his first two NFL starts, Leaf was on top of the world. But in week three of his rookie season, a loss to Kansas City, he had \u201cthe worst game of my life\u201d and was devastated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t equipped to deal with it,\u201d he said, adding that he experienced \u201carrested development\u201d at age 13. \u201cI was humiliated and embarrassed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life in the NFL went downhill quickly after that, with Leaf sharing that he doesn\u2019t remember many good things about his five-year NFL career. He went on to play for Dallas, Tampa Bay and Seattle before mental health issues prompted him to, in his words, \u201cwalk away from the think I wanted to do since I was 4 years old.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Falling into depression and living under the burden as being known as one of the biggest draft busts ever, Leaf said he turned to taking Vicodin to ease his pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to feel anything, and the Vicodin did that for me,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was eight years of a constant chase.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaf said he squandered all of his money and resorted to going through friend’s medicine cabinets in search of his high \u2013 and then to entering strangers\u2019 homes to find pills. Law enforcement caught up to him in March 2012 and he was sentenced to seven years in prison for burglary and possession of narcotics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor 26 of the 32 months that I served, I did nothing much watch a little TV at the end of my bed,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to die. I didn\u2019t want to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately for him, his cellmate urged him to help some of the other inmates learn how to read. Reluctantly, he accepted the offer and, later on, he set out to become a substance abuse counselor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Over the past 12 years, Leaf, 47, has maintained sobriety and has worked tirelessly to improve his life through AA meetings, therapy, prayer and meditation, and reaching out to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat changed is (that I embraced) service to others, and it\u2019s not money-generated,\u201d he said. \u201cJust sharing my story. And (addressing the students) your life\u2019s story is just as inspirational and impactful as mine because you\u2019re still here. Sharing that is the most serviceable thing you could do.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Leaf, a Connecticut resident, talked about how he changed his attitude toward women \u2013 \u201cI never respected women,\u201d he said \u2013 and speaking glowingly of his wife, 6 \u00bd-year-old son and 6-month-old daughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When not traveling around the U.S. speaking about substance use and mental health stigma, Leaf, chief executive officer of RAM Consultant, Inc., serves as a college and NFL analyst for Westwood One Sports and hosts a radio and television shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stating that he\u2019s \u201cOK\u201d with his past, Leaf said, \u201cWe all screw up and then think it\u2019s the end of the world. But it\u2019s not. You can stumble and fall but you need to keep trying. It doesn\u2019t matter what happened it the past.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

He encouraged the students to \u201cdo the little things\u201d that provide strength in times of temptation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou always have a choice,\u201d he said, mentioning drinking and driving, drug use and sexual activity. \u201cEnjoy the next couple weeks (before proms and graduations). It\u2019s fleeting. It goes by so fast.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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<\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52935,"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":[8,23],"tags":[3942],"class_list":["post-52934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-batavia","category-genesee-county","tag-uconnectcare"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8eTP4-dLM","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":52239,"url":"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\/","url_meta":{"origin":52934,"position":0},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf to speak about substance use disorder, mental health on May 8","author":"aka","date":"April 8, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf, right, and former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jack Ham at a Legends & Stars event in February 2023 at Batavia Downs Gaming. 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