Yahoo Sports 
Ryan Leaf gets his sentence; has terribly low self-esteem
A pair of noteworthy San Diego Chargers hit milestones in opposite directions this week. For LaDainian Tomlinson, things were about as good as they get. For Ryan Leaf, well, things are every bit as bad for him as they appear to be in the picture above.
The sentence he got from a judge in Great Falls, Mont., on Tuesday does keep him out of jail, but at this point, even that might be a loss for Leaf. He'd been behind bars since April 2 and called that time a "sanctuary."
He also offered these three statements to the court. First, speaking of his parents, who were not at the hearing:
"They believe I've held them for ransom for 36 years, and I don't understand why I should have to do that any more."
"I'm lazy, and dishonest and selfish. These were behaviors I had before my addiction kicked in."
"Five to 10 years of Ryan-free drama for my family, this community — particularly for this nation — would be pure bliss for people."
It might be pretty nice for Ryan, too. It's just that he's shown a remarkable inability to live that drama-free life he spoke of.
Leaf's been fighting a painkiller addiction, one that's driven him to multiple acts of burglary over the past few years. Police found stolen prescriptions drugs in Leaf's possession back in March, when he was already on probation. Released on bail, Leaf then robbed a mobile home in search of more pills. He still has outstanding charges in Texas, too.
Leaf was, in 1998, the second overall pick in the NFL draft, and considered by some to be a better quarterback prospect than the man who went first, Peyton Manning. Leaf never adjusted to being an NFL quarterback, though, mostly due to the laziness, selfishness and dishonesty he cited above. He is considered to be the biggest draft bust in NFL history.
Unfortunately, he hasn't fared much better as a citizen. I hope for the best for the guy, but at this point, when he's on his 48th chance and he's begging for jail time, I don't know that there's much left to hope for.
Fantasy football advice from the Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Minute:
Other popular content on the Yahoo! network:
• Kevin Iole: Panel concludes Manny Pacquiao should have beaten Timothy Bradley
• Yahoo! Sports spans the globe to re-live the greatest Summer Olympic moments
• Fantasy baseball video: All-around help for your team
• Y! News: Detroit man gambles away $1.5 million accidentally given by ATM
