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Stephen HolderESPN
INDIANAPOLIS — Did Indianapolis Colts proprietor Jim Irsay privately choose quarterback Ryan Leaf over Peyton Manning with the highest choose within the 1998 NFL draft?
Leaf, the eventual No. 2 choice, says he believes Irsay did. Irsay, nonetheless, has a special recollection.
“That could be a full untruth and an entire lie,” Irsay advised ESPN in response to Leaf’s feedback on “The Dan Patrick Present” on Monday. “I used to be behind Peyton for 2 or three months earlier than the draft … I do not know who created that, however I needed to unequivocally be certain the report is straight, as a result of that is not true.”
Leaf, who has known as school soccer video games for ESPN, has been doing a collection of interviews because the twenty fifth anniversary of the 1998 draft approaches. He’s pushing again on what he says are false narratives about his pre-draft habits that preceded the Colts’ determination to draft Manning.
Manning went on to 14 Professional Bowls and was a five-time NFL Most Priceless Participant and two-time Tremendous Bowl winner. Leaf, the second total choose by the then-San Diego Chargers, went 4-17 as a starter and flamed out rapidly. Leaf additionally struggled with substance abuse and has a historical past of authorized troubles.
However in 1998, there was a good quantity of debate about why each gamers deserved to be chosen No. 1. Manning led Tennessee to the 1997 SEC title with 4 touchdowns within the championship sport towards Auburn, and he completed fourth with 3,819 passing yards. Leaf completed third in Heisman voting and led Washington State to the Rose Bowl title.
“I feel Jim Irsay actually needed me,” Leaf stated. “You’ll be able to actually perceive why. We’re each impulsive people.”
Irsay pushed again arduous.
“It’s not that I assumed Ryan was going to bust out and never play nicely,” he stated. “I didn’t know the issues and the difficulties that he’d run into. However one factor is unequivocally true: I needed Peyton. I imply, a month earlier than the draft, there wasn’t any query.
“I used to be shocked after I noticed that [we wanted to pick Leaf] as a result of it’s simply not true … I’m pissed off that it could even be put on the market. I might deliver you 10 individuals that will let you know it’s not true.”
Even 25 years later, Leaf harbors some bitterness for claims he stated had been made by former Colts basic supervisor Invoice Polian and then-coach Jim Mora Sr.
Amongst them, Leaf stated, was a dialog by which he purportedly advised Colts officers that he can be late to report back to Indianapolis after the draft due to a deliberate journey to Las Vegas along with his associates. Polian made the declare in a latest podcast interview. Leaf says he by no means met with the Colts and the dialog by no means occurred. Leaf additionally stated claims that he skipped a gathering with the Colts on the scouting mix usually are not solely true, saying he missed the assembly due to an MRI ordered by the Chicago Bears.
“I’m uninterested in the revisionist historical past,” Leaf stated.
Irsay would say the identical.
“I imply, this by no means got here up for 25 years,” Irsay stated of Leaf’s declare about his Irsay’s desire. “Why wouldn’t it come up now? I imply, what the hell?”