Ryan Leaf tells his story on 'Ellen'

The name Ryan Leaf is a controversial one for a lot of Cougars. After leading Washington State to the Rose Bowl and being taken as the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft, Leaf was a bust. After his fall from grace, he only went down even further. Seven years ago, it looked like Leaf had recovered from his issues and was in a better place.

But he would fall again. And this time, he hit rock bottom.

The hits just kept coming for Leaf. In 2010 as an assistant football coach at West Texas A&M, Leaf allegedly broke into a player's apartment and stole pain medication. In 2011, Leaf was arrested twice in a four day period for breaking into homes and stealing more medication. Two years later, he was kicked out of a drug treatment center and sent to prison for violating his parole.

Leaf served two years in prison. When he got out in late 2014, we didn't hear much from the one time Heisman Trophy finalist.

Recently, Leaf has started to enter the public eye again. But this time, he's trying to do good. From his numerous appearances on the Dan Patrick Show, to profiles on the Fox NFL Pregame Show, to mentoring quarterbacks at the NFL Combine, and beyond, Leaf has been spreading the word of Transcend Recovery Community, a rehab center where he currently works as a program ambassador, and The Focused Intensity Foundation, his non-profit foundation that raises money for mental health treatment scholarships.

Leaf continued to spread the good word yesterday, this time to an audience that might not know his story. Leaf was a guest on the Ellen DeGeneres Show where he talked about his recovery, his role helping people in jail and what lies ahead. It's a good overview of the situations Leaf has been through and shows just how much he has improved from a mental health standpoint over the last decade.

Ryan Leaf

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