Ryan Leaf
addiction after NFL career
Former
quarterback says the way he handled criticism affected success
By CAMERON
SHEPPARD, Evergreen April 22, 2019
Former WSU
quarterback Ryan Leaf hosted a talk Friday about his struggles with mental
health and addiction following his NFL career.
Leaf said
he felt like he was “pretty special” after being drafted second overall in the
1998 NFL draft. He said he was a successful athlete through his youth and ended
up being the first and only player from Montana to be drafted in the first
round of the NFL draft.
“I thought
I was better than everyone because I could play a silly game,” he said.
After
being drafted, he said he was paid $31 million, a number he felt was
astronomical at the time.
Leaf felt
like he had it all. He thought he would play 15 to 20 years in the NFL, but he
said his career really ended after his third game.
Leaf said
the third game of his career against the Kansas City Chiefs was the worst
football game he ever played. But he said it was the way he handled the criticism
that determined whether he was a success or a failure.
The next
day, Leaf berated a reporter, who he said wrote a negative article about him.
Leaf said
as a successful athlete, he had always been given what he wanted and told what
he wanted to hear. He felt like he had always had the power to control things
around him.
“Consequences
were not the same for me,” he said.
Leaf said
peoples’ expectations for him were high, and he had the highest expectations
for himself. He saw failure as black-and-white rather than an opportunity to do
better the next time around.
Leaf
continued to struggle in the NFL. He said near the end of his career, he
suffered symptoms of depression.
“Instead
of asking,” Leaf said, “I quit something I wanted to do since I was 4 years old.”
Leaf said
USA Today published a list of the top draft busts of all-time recently. His
name topped the list.
“I thought
I would disappear into the ether, and no one would care anymore,” he said.
Now, Leaf
said his name is used every April as a cautionary tale.
“Don’t
draft the next Ryan Leaf,” he said.
Leaf said
competition was his first drug of choice, but with football absent from his
life, as well as the criticism and judgment he felt, he needed something else
to numb the pain and anxiety.
He said that
was when he began to abuse painkillers.
“I didn’t
want to feel anything,” he said.
This led
Leaf down a vicious cycle of drug abuse. Leaf said one of the hardest realities
to face was that he spent nearly all of the money he earned from the NFL.
He was living
in a small guest house in his hometown regularly using pills.
“I would
wake up and if I had pills, the day was glorious,” Leaf said. “If not, I had to
search and find some.”
Leaf said
the only thing that stopped this cycle was an intervention. He said that was
what happened when he was arrested twice in 48 hours for burglarizing homes in
search of more drugs.
As a
person of privilege, Leaf said the first time he ever felt marginalized was
when he was sentenced and given an inmate number.
He said
his life in prison was miserable yet complacent because he felt that
incarceration was the most fitting place for himself. He felt worthless and
helpless until a cellmate changed his perspective.
His
cellmate encouraged him to help teach other inmates to read at the prison
library. Leaf said he reluctantly agreed to help.
Leaf said
he was humbled when 50-year-old men admitted they could not read and asked him
for help, showing vulnerability in an environment where it was so rarely
revealed. Leaf returned day in and day out to continue teaching.
“I
realized I was of service to another human for the first time in my life,” he
said.
After Leaf
was released, he visited a rehabilitation center and has been sober ever since.
He is now involved with sobriety and treatment support networks in California
as he continues to help those who suffer from addiction.
Leaf said
he has realized what he thought about success when he was young was wrong, and he
now feels his life has more value than ever before.
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Coug Tennis
falls to No. 13 UW in final regular season match
Two
seniors play last contest in Pullman, WSU looks toward Pac-12 Championships
By TY
EKLUND, Evergreen April 21, 2019
After a
long and emotional senior day, No. 35 WSU tennis suffered a tough 4-1 loss at
the hands of bitter rival No. 13 UW on Saturday at Hollingbery Fieldhouse.
Seniors
Tiffany Mylonas and Aneta Miksovska were honored prior to the match. Head Coach
Lisa Hart said she hopes the other Cougars have looked to the seniors as role
models.
“I’m proud
of the way they’ve represented us, the way they compete,” Hart said. “I think
our players can learn a lot from them.”
After the
team gathered together to take pictures and hand out roses they were then
delegated to play on the outside courts instead of the inside ones. However,
rain changed those plans and forced them to compete indoors.
The
Cougars’ (18-9, 3-7) energy was apparent to start the match as they fought hard
to win the opening doubles point.
In the
first doubles match, freshman Yang Lee and junior Melisa Ates struggled against
the Huskies (18-3, 8-2) thanks to miscommunication, leading to them being shut
out 6-0.
The
remaining Cougar duos were in sync as Mylonas and freshman Hikaru Sato claimed
their match 6-2 and Miksovska and sophomore Michaela Bayerlova took down the
Huskies 6-3.
This was
the Cougars first doubles point win since their match against Arizona on March
31 and their first doubles point victory in Pullman against UW since 2014.
“We’ve
been playing better doubles,” Hart said. “The last three matches were against
top 15 teams so we’ve been playing at a pretty high level so I think it’s nice
to get awarded that doubles point.”
After
their doubles point loss, the Huskies bounced back in singles play.
The Cougars
failed to earn a point in singles matches as the Huskies persistent pressure
proved to be too much. UW quickly tied the score at 1-1 with a 7-5, 6-2 win
over Ates.
The
remaining matches all went to third sets as WSU battled to stay in it. Bayerlova,
after winning the first set of her match 6-3, seemed to slow down and lost the
second and third sets 6-2.
With the
Huskies now up, every player was on their toes. Sato was fighting back after
capturing a 6-2 win in the second set of her match to stay alive but she
ultimately fell 1-6, 6-2, 5-7.
The
crowd’s attention was now on Miksovska who was battling the Huskies for the
fourth time in her college career.
After
getting things done in the first set with a 6-4 win, Miksovska stumbled in the
second to allow her opponent to force a decisive third set. The two went back
and forth but UW edged out Miksovska 7-5 in the final set to clinch the 4-1
match win.
After the
Apple Cup match concluded, Mylonas thanked the fans for coming to support her
in the final home match of her career.
“It was
nice to have fans and people there for us,” Mylonas said. “We had more people
than other matches so that was nice.”
The
Cougars will now need to recover after the loss and get ready for the Pac-12
Championships this Wednesday through Saturday in Ojai, California. WSU enters
the tournament as the No. 7 seed and will face No. 10 seed Arizona at noon
Wednesday.
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WSU Spring
football game raises more than $50,000 for Coug Health Fund, Crimson edges Gray
Redshirt
senior quarterback Anthony Gordon impresses, Will Rodgers III records three
sacks
By ISAAC
SEMMLER, Evergreen April 20, 2019
The Air
Raid offense took flight Saturday in Martin Stadium as Crimson used a late
touchdown run to take down Gray 25-24 in the annual spring game.
The game
returned to Pullman for the first time since 2010 and raised $51,830 for the
ASWSU Coug Health Fund.
Entering
the contest, all eyes were on the quarterback position to see who could step up
and fill the void left by the departure of Gardner Minshew.
Redshirt
senior quarterback Anthony Gordon looked like the guy, leading the Gray team to
the end zone on their first drive when he found redshirt freshman wide receiver
Kassidy Woods for an 8-yard touchdown.
Gordon
finished with 234 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception while
completing 21 of his 30 passes.
Head Coach
Mike Leach said he was pleased with Gordon’s performance.
“I thought
Gordon went out there, played pretty well, let it rip,” Leach said.
Redshirt
senior quarterback Trey Tinsley also looked to make a strong impression for the
Crimson team. He responded to Gordon’s drive with a 31-yard touchdown pass down
the sideline to redshirt junior wide receiver Renard Bell to tie the game at 7-7.
Bell
finished with five catches for 108 yards and a touchdown in the game.
Tinsley
said it felt great to play in front of the home crowd and compete against the
other quarterbacks.
“It was
great to play in front of a lively atmosphere,” Tinsley said. “Though our
groups are a little mixed up I think we handled everything pretty well.”
Tinsley
only threw for 155 yards and one touchdown in the game and tossed a pair of
interceptions.
“I thought
Trey was tentative at times,” Leach said.
The Gray
marched down the field on the ensuing possession as Gordon squeezed a pass in a
tight window to find senior wide receiver Calvin Jackson Jr. for a 2-yard
touchdown. The Gray took a 14-7 lead.
In the
second quarter, the ball slipped out of Tinsley’s hand as he threw and the pass
was intercepted by redshirt senior defensive lineman Nnamdi Oguayo. It was the
first turnover of the game.
Gordon
tossed his third and final touchdown on the ensuing drive when he found
redshirt sophomore wide receiver Travell Harris from 33 yards out to give Gray
a 21-7 lead.
The rain
began to fall midway through the quarter and fans scrambled to find cover.
Before the end of the first half, Gordon made his only mistake of the game as a
pass intended for Harris was tipped and intercepted by junior cornerback George
Hicks III. Gray took a 21-7 lead into halftime.
The
Crimson started off the third quarter with a monster 26-yard rush from Tinsley
to kickoff a drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by sophomore running
back Max Borghi. Redshirt junior kicker Jack Crane missed the extra point to
make the score 21-13 in favor of the Gray.
Redshirt
freshman Cammon Cooper replaced Gordon in the third quarter and threw an
interception to senior safety Jalen Thompson. Cooper then switched over to the
Crimson team in an attempt to find a better scoring opportunity.
Unfortunately,
Cooper’s struggles continued as he failed to convert on fourth down and threw
an interception on the next possession.
Redshirt
sophomore kicker Blake Mazza hit a 50-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to
give Gray a 24-13 lead.
The game
then went into overtime and redshirt sophomore quarterback John Bledsoe found
redshirt freshman wide receiver Rodrick Fisher for a 16-yard touchdown. Crane
missed the extra point to make the score 24-19.
Redshirt
freshman running back Dominic Tominiko then ran the ball into the end zone from
a yard out to score the game-winning touchdown for the Crimson team.
At the
conclusion of the scrimmage, Harris led the Gray with 103 receiving yards while
Bell led Crimson with 108 yards. Gray had three interceptions and one sack in
the game and the Crimson grabbed two interceptions and recorded six sacks.
Junior
defensive end Will Rodgers III had three of the Crimson teams sacks. On one of
his sacks, Rodgers hit Cooper which is against WSU’s policy of not hitting
quarterbacks in intrasquad scrimmages.
“I had
beat my man, the O-lineman,
and the
momentum just wouldn’t let me stop on that one,” Rodgers said. “So I tried to
pull up, but it happens sometimes.”
The
Cougars will finish off the spring with their final practice 2:45 p.m. Tuesday.
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Permanent
daylight saving time passes Washington Legislature
UPDATED:
Tue., April 23, 2019, 2:18 p.m.
By Ryan
Blake Spokesman-Review
OLYMPIA –
Permanent daylight saving in Washington gained more support Tuesday with final
passage of a bill suggesting the end to changing the clock twice a year.
The House
approved the bill 90-6 that asks the federal government to allow states to
choose year-round daylight saving time. If given that congressional “OK,”
Washington would not change its clocks in November when states return to
standard time.
A previous
version of the bill would have put the decision on the next general election
ballot, but the Senate removed that provision and the House confirmed. All 10
Spokane-area representatives voted yes. The proposal next heads to Gov. Jay
Inslee for his signature.
California,
Oregon and British Columbia have or are considering proposals suggesting the
end of the twice annual clock switch and adopting permanent daylight saving
time.
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NCAA's
exploding revenues aren't trickling down to every sport
By Greg
Hansen Arizona Daily Star Tucson
April 22,
2019
The NCAA
Council last week voted against adding a third paid assistant coach in baseball
and softball, which prompted Arizona State baseball coach Tracy Smith to tap
out this message on Twitter:
“Wow, just
wow. … What a joke.”
“It’s
ridiculous,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri.
This is a
story with some deep roots.
When
Arizona won its first NCAA baseball championship in 1976, the UA athletic
department had 54 full-time employees. Jerry Kindall, who coached the Wildcats
to the title, had two paid assistant coaches, Jim Wing and Mark Johnson.
Now the
Arizona athletic department has 243 full-time employees — and two paid
assistant baseball coaches. It’s about the only thing that hasn’t inflated in
college sports over five decades.
Given the
bloated salaries and excessive spending in college sports, it seems trivial
that any NCAA voting bloc would argue cost containment on anything in 2019.
The
Washington Huskies, for example, fund 38 full-time employees in their football
department, including four strength and conditioning coaches, three quality
control analysts, a coordinator of sports sciences, an on-campus football
ambassador and a creative director for football.
And
college baseball and softball teams can’t pay a third assistant coach?
There’s
another side to this.
Mike
Candrea has won eight NCAA softball championships, all with two paid assistant
coaches. That seems about right, doesn’t it? The No. 3-ranked Wildcats have 21
players and a strong presence in volunteer coach Ray Camacho, former head coach
at Pueblo High School, who grew up in one of the most accomplished softball
families in Tucson history.
It’s not
like the UA softball team doesn’t already receive the best coaching in the
game.
The issue
here is Big vs. Small. It’s a tricky business when schools like Alabama, with
2017-18 fiscal year revenues of $181 million and 343 full-time employees, are
governed by the same book as, say, New Mexico, which had 2017-18 revenues of
$41 million and 148 full-time sports employees.
To its
credit, the NCAA has held to its coaching staff limits in everything but
football, which has become an only-the-strong-survive money game that pays for
everything else.
In effect,
the NCAA has protected the New Mexicos and the Wyomings by not allowing runaway
growth in non-revenue sports.
Baseball
coaches from the Power 5 conferences argue that the player-to-coach ratio of
about 12 to 1 doesn’t allow them to give proper attention to each player. But
if you vote to fund another baseball coach, you’ll have to add another track
and field assistant coach.
Or more.
Arizona’s
men’s and women’s track and field/cross country programs are by far the largest
on campus, with 192 participants this year. Head coach Fred Harvey has five
full-time assistants, which is basically a 30 to 1 ratio.
Football
coaches used the coach-to-player ratio when they were successful in adding a
10th full-time assistant coach a year ago. But because football pays the bills,
it is judged from a different book. The same argument for baseball, softball
and track doesn’t fly.
The
fascinating part of this add-a-coach conflict is that it puts focus on the
unforeseen growth of college athletics.
If someone
had told you 20 years ago, in 1999, that Arizona would expand from 181 FTE to
the current 243, you’d have questioned their sanity, especially when attendance
for football and basketball games has not grown.
But here’s
how it happened, bit by bit, funded by mega-media rights contracts:
Arizona
went from three full-time compliance officials to six.
It went
from three strength and conditioning coaches to 10, plus one nutritionist.
It went
from six fundraisers to 18.
It went
from 14 full-time football employees to 22.
It went
from five academic counselors to 13.
It went
from six associate athletic directors to 26 administrators with varying titles:
senior associate AD, associate AD and assistant AD. (A 27th, Dennis Polian, is
Arizona’s assistant AD for football).
It created
a new department — human resources and information technology — with seven
FTEs.
Can you
imagine what the UA’s athletic department might look like in another 20 years,
in 2039? It might have 300 employees with annual revenues of $150 million. And
that’s a modest estimate, given the expansion at mid-level Pac-12 schools like
Arizona State.
In the
fiscal year 2017-18, ASU had 287 FTEs. It reported revenues of $122 million to
the U.S. Department of Education, blowing away Arizona’s 92 million.
The Sun
Devils have added non-revenue sports like hockey, lacrosse, water polo and
beach volleyball during an era when adding a baseball or softball coach — at
maybe $125,000 per school — has created a national debate.
Does any
of this make sense?
When
Arizona entered the Pac-10 in 1978, the athletic department was so small you
didn’t need a staff directory. Chuck Magness was the money guy, Stub Ashcraft
was in control of facilities, Warren Lee ran the medical office, Ed Thomas
issued helmets and baseball gear, and academic support was handled in Dan
Winters’ office.
If you
needed to talk to a baseball coach you phoned Jerry Kindall. His home number
was in the book.
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