WSU Will Lose Leaf To Nfl Cougar Quarterback Will Skip Senior Season To Enter Draft
One day after losing the Rose Bowl, Washington State University lost junior quarterback Ryan Leaf, who announced Friday morning that he will forgo his senior season to enter the National Football League draft.
Leaf, speaking at a press conference in the team hotel, said he considered returning to WSU as recently as mid-December, when he was overcome by the pageantry of the Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York.
“It was an outstanding experience to be associated with college football in that sense and I wanted to do it again,” Leaf said. “I honestly don’t want to leave, but I think it is in my best interest to do that.”
The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Leaf will command millions in the NFL. Prominent sports agent Leigh Steinberg has been hired to do the negotiating, Leaf said.
Last year, Steinberg negotiated a $42 million contract for New England Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who left WSU after his junior season in 1992.
“You go to college to find financial security and that’s what it comes down to,” Leaf said.
Leaf, who led the Cougars to their first Rose Bowl in 67 years, said he consulted with Bledsoe and other top quarterbacks, including Warren Moon of the Seattle Seahawks, before making his decision.
“Their thoughts of me playing at the next level rang out loud and clear,” Leaf said. “It wasn’t like, ‘Well, maybe you could.’ They told me I was ready and that’s what put me over the top.”
Leaf passed for 3,968 yards and 34 touchdowns this season while leading the Cougars to a 10-2 record and a No. 9 national ranking.
He completed 17 of 35 passes for 331 yards and one touchdown in Thursday’s 21-16 Rose Bowl loss to top-ranked Michigan.
Leaf also expects to graduate this spring with a degree in broadcast communication, fulfilling a promise he made to his parents, who attended Friday’s announcement along with coach Mike Price and athletic director Rick Dickson.
“Being a role model for young people on a national level is so important,” Leaf said.
Leaf was raised in Great Falls, Mont., where he was seen by many as a talented kid with an attitude problem. Much of that baggage was left behind when he came to WSU four years ago.
“I want to thank Spokane and Pullman and the entire state of Washington,” Leaf said. “You have brought me in and I am proud to say I am from Pullman, Wash.”
With Leaf gone, junior Steve Birnbaum is the favorite to start at quarterback next season, Price said. Brian Paul, a newly signed player from West Los Angeles Junior College, will also be given a chance.
Price expressed support for Leaf’s decision, as he had for Bledsoe, who became the top player chosen in the draft.
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