Plea Bargain In The Works For Leaf

Ryan Leaf, former Cowboys quarterback and second overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft (taken just behind some guy named Manning), will be offered a plea deal by Randall County prosecutors in early 2010, according to a report on Amarillo.com (per Pro Football Talk).

Leaf faces multiple felony charges stemming from an incident in October 2008, while serving as the quarterbacks coach of the West Texas A&M football team. Allegedly, Leaf broke into a player's apartment in order to abscond with Hydrocodone, a prescription pain killer to which the former Heisman finalist was reportedly addicted.

The terms of the deal are still unclear at this point, and Leaf could still face prison time if convicted. The charges levied against him include burglary of a habitation, seven counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of delivery of a controlled substance.

Leaf was arrested in June by customs agents as he tried to cross into Washington state from British Columbia, where he had been living and, reportedly, attending rehab. After posting bond, Leaf returned to Canada.

According to Randall County district attorney James Farren, public sentiment towards Leaf is split, and ambiguous; this, Farren says, will play a factor in the drafting of the plea.

"They find it disturbing that he was in a position of trust and, possibly, he abused that," Farren said. "Other people thought he deserved a break. We're going to make an offer that we think is fair to the victims and fair to the defendant and fair to the state of Texas. What would a Randall County jury likely do? I don't know if I know at this point."

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