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Former Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf arrested in Palm Desert

Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf looks on during a game against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 6, 1998, in San Diego.
Ryan Leaf, then a rookie quarterback with the Chargers, looks on during a game against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 6, 1998, in San Diego.
(Todd Warshaw / Getty Images)
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Former Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf was arrested in Southern California on Friday.

Leaf, 44, was arrested on a domestic battery charge in Palm Desert, according to booking information provided by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department on Saturday. Leaf was being held on $5,000 bail at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility.

It wasn’t immediately known whether Leaf had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.

Leaf finished third in Heisman Trophy voting in 1997 and led Washington State to the Rose Bowl. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers as the No. 2 overall pick in 1998, but he was only 4-14 as a starter in three seasons. He was 0-3 with the Dallas Cowboys in 2001 and finished his four-year career with 14 touchdown passes and 36 interceptions.

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He was arrested in 2012 for breaking into a home in Montana to steal prescription drugs, which violated his Texas probation and led to prison.

People might say there was no debate, but don’t believe them.

March 10, 2017

Last July, Leaf was hired by ESPN to be a football analyst. Leaf worked for the Pac-12 Network last season and has been co-hosting a show on SiriusXM’s Pac-12 channel.

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