Ryan Leaf sentenced to drug treatment
AP Feed
Jun. 19, 2012 10:28 PM

Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf could spend 15 months locked down in Montana, first in a secure drug treatment facility and then in a pre-release living center as part of a judge's sentence following Leaf's guilty plea for breaking into a house and illegally possessing painkillers.

District Judge Kenneth Neill sentenced Leaf on Tuesday to seven years with the Department of Corrections, with two years suspended if he abides by the conditions. Neill recommended that Leaf's sentence start with nine months at the Nexus Treatment Center in Lewistown, which he would be unable to leave, followed by time in a pre-release center.

Leaf's attorney said he expects the 36-year-old Leaf to spend six months in the pre-release center if he successfully completes the treatment. At that point, he could be eligible for monitored release.

Leaf, who was shackled hand and foot, told the judge he was humiliated and embarrassed for himself and his family and added that jail ''has been a sanctuary'' since his April arrest.

''I have enjoyed my time in there more than my previous 15 years,'' Leaf said.

Leaf was taken No. 2 overall by the San Diego Chargers in the 1998 NFL draft after a standout career at Washington State, but his rocky and short-lived professional career earned him the reputation as one of the biggest busts in NFL history.

As a result of the Montana case, a prosecutor in Texas also is seeking to revoke Leaf's 10-year probationary sentence from a 2010 plea agreement for stealing prescription pain medication from a player's home while he was a coach at West Texas A&M. An investigation also found he obtained nearly 1,000 pain pills from area pharmacies in an eight-month span.

The prosecutor, James Farren of Randall County, Texas, indicated that he thinks prison time may be needed in his state.

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