Ex-NFL Quarterback Ryan Leaf Arrested In Montana

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) — Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf was arrested Friday in his Montana hometown of Great Falls on burglary and drug possession charges, police said.

The circumstances surrounding Leaf's arrest were not immediately clear. Great Falls Police Sgt. Dean Bennett, who confirmed Leaf's arrest, said Friday night that he had not seen a report detailing the allegations against the ex-football player.

Leaf was booked on felony charges of burglary of a residence and criminal possession of dangerous drugs, plus a first-time charge of misdemeanor theft, Cascade County Detention Center Officer Robert Rivera said.

Leaf was freed on $76,000 bond and is scheduled to make an initial court appearance Monday.

There is no phone listing for Leaf. A message left at his parents' house was not immediately returned Friday night. It was not clear whether he had hired an attorney.

Leaf, a former standout quarterback for Washington State, was the No. 2 pick in the 1998 draft behind Peyton Manning. But Leaf flamed out as quarterback for the San Diego Chargers, gaining a reputation as one of the biggest busts in NFL history.

Leaf has struggled with fame and drug problems, and Friday was not the first time he was arrested on drug and burglary charges.

In 2008, when Leaf was a quarterbacks coach for Division II West Texas A&M, he was accused of burglarizing a player's home. An investigation turned up that Leaf had obtained nearly 1,000 pain pills from area pharmacies in an eight-month span.

He resigned that year, was indicted in 2009 and the next year pleaded guilty to eight felony drug charges. He received 10 years' probation and was fined $20,000.

Last year, he authored a book titled "596 Switch" — the name of a passing play in the Washington State playbook — that focused on the 1997 season when he led the Cougars to their first Rose Bowl in six decades.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.