Ryan Leaf calls himself ‘hypocrite,’ says he wants to help others

Ryan Leaf is in the process of trying to repair his image, and the approach he is taking is clearly one that involves self-reflection.

Leaf, whose life went downhill quickly after he was taken with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, spoke with ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” for a feature that aired over the weekend. He also wrote a powerful first-person letter to his younger self for The Players’ Tribune.

Leaf did and said similar things back in 2011, but he ended up relapsing and getting himself into more trouble with the law. He insists his intentions are better this time around.

Today's show capped @OTLonESPN's two-day discussion with Ryan Leaf, which included this moment of self-reflection. pic.twitter.com/VTKdYBQQJ7

— Bob Ley (@BobLeyESPN) April 30, 2017

“I was a hypocrite. Three days later, I would relapse,” Leaf told OTL when shown a clip of himself preaching sobriety six years ago. “I was pitching a book. That was really self-serving. This has zero to do with me. This is about helping somebody else who is struggling.

“I was as miserable as could be. I couldn’t tell anybody then because I needed to sell a book or something. I’m not selling anything here. I’m selling sobriety, if you want it. I’m selling being a better person, if you want it.”

Leaf got out of prison in 2014 after he served two years for breaking into homes and stealing prescription drugs. He looks a lot better now than he did at that time, which you can see here.

It’s unfortunate that Leaf’s name will always be associated with failure, but at least he is trying to make something good come of all of his mistakes. If that short OTL clip is any indication, his intentions seem genuine.