Ryan Leaf, the legendary NFL quarterback bust, was placed on leave today from his position as quarterbacks coach at West Texas A&M. ESPN's Joe Schad reports that the suspension came after Leaf asked one of his players for a painkiller.
Presumably Leaf was asking for something a little stronger than Tylenol or Advil. What isn't known is how the incident came to light. Did somebody overhear the question? Did Leaf get a guilty conscience? Did the player narc on his coach?
The latter seems to be the most likely. I'd imagine it has to be a little strange to play for Ryan Leaf. Anytime the coach critiques a player, the kid must be thinking, "Dude, you're Ryan Leaf. What can you tell me about quarterbacking? I was at that game when you went 11-26 with two picks and threw a pass that hit your center in the thigh. And you're telling me to 'keep my wits under pressure.' Just like you did when you flipped out on that reporter, right?"
Leaf, who also coaches the school's golf team will be on leave "indefinitely."
If the incident is true, it's not too surprising. After all, Ryan Leaf never was very good at trying to score.