Ryan Leaf: Former NFL QB Must Back Up His Talk with Actions

Former NFL quarterback and infamous NFL draft bust Ryan Leaf has been skating on very thin ice as far as his credibility is concerned, and he may have just fallen through.

Leaf can not be taken at face value anymore, and that's possibly one of the worst things you could ever write about a person.

I regret having to say it, but he just can't be trusted.

Leaf has once again found himself in hot water with the law, according to a report written by Kimball Bennion, Scott Mansch and Jesse Geleynse of the Great Falls Tribune. The report states that he was arrested Friday afternoon on burglary, theft and drug charges.

The report cites a statement released by his publicist that paints the former quarterback out as contrite and humbled, but it's hard to see this as more than damage control:

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“I’ve made some mistakes, and have no excuses,” Leaf said in the statement. “I am using the tools I’ve learned to move forward rather than backwards, and will be open to talking about the details in the days to come. I am confident that there will be further understanding when the facts are revealed, and feel very blessed for all of the support, especially from my friends and family.”

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This is the same guy that was already on a 10-year probation period because of similar charges, mind you. This is obviously more than just a passing phase or a horrible decision made once. Leaf has a serious problem and until he proves otherwise via his actions, he doesn't deserve to be trusted.

He can talk as much as he wants about moving forward with his life, but until he actually does so in a tangible way, his words are hollow.

It's OK to struggle. We all have vices and we all make mistakes.

The difference is that most people can learn from their mistakes and separate themselves from the behavior that brought them down, though, and this is obviously something Leaf can not do.

He can't be trusted anymore, and I hope for his sake that he has people in his life that understand that and will hold him accountable accordingly.

There shouldn't be a person reading this that would hope anything but the best for Leaf in this process. We don't want him to struggle, and we don't want him to succumb to these obviously life-degrading vices in his life.

That being said, until he proves otherwise, we'd be wise to turn a deaf ear to statements of regret and instead turn our attention to actions that show us that he's trying to get back on track.

Words only mean so much and in Leaf's case, they have become null and void.

As the old saying goes: "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."

Ryan Leaf needs to back up his contrite words of regret with actions, and I hope he can do so.