........Thank god........He was a quitter from Day one After Short, Troubled Career Leaf, 26, Decides to Retire By JANIE McCAULEY .c The Associated Press CHENEY, Wash. (July 26) -- Ryan Leaf has retired, ending a career that began in 1998 when he was the No. 2 overall draft pick and considered one of the NFL's most promising young quarterbacks. Leaf did not report to the Seattle Seahawks' training camp Thursday, when quarterbacks were due to report to the team's facility at Eastern Washington University here. Team spokesman Dave Pearson said Friday that Leaf -- who fizzled in San Diego, Tampa Bay and Dallas -- told the Seahawks he is quitting. In four seasons, Leaf appeared in 25 games, making 21 starts. He completed 317 of 655 passes for 3,666 yards, with 14 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. He had a dismal quarterback rating of 50. Leaf not only failed to perform on the field but also alienated teammates and the media with frequent tirades, blaming others for his problems. The 26-year-old Leaf signed with the Seahawks in May, a day after being released by the Cowboys. Seahawks coach and general manager Mike Holmgren was not available for comment Friday, the team said. Attempts to reach Leaf and his agent, David Dunn, were not immediately successful. Leaf had been battling an injured right wrist, which he hurt while playing for the Chargers against the Seahawks in 2000. The injury kept him from making Tampa Bay's roster during the 2001 preseason after the Chargers cut him. He participated in Seattle's spring minicamps and said he was looking forward to another chance. The 6-foot-5, 248-pound Leaf was taken right after Indianapolis selected Peyton Manning with the draft's first pick four years ago. Many scouts thought he was better than Manning, now one of the top QBs in the NFL, and predicted an outstanding future for him. "His ability to pass is going to be hugely important to him in the future,'' Holmgren said during a recent minicamp. "In Dallas, he said (the wrist) didn't bother him. It hasn't bothered him since he's been here. But he had an injury to it and anytime a quarterback injures something like his wrist, you're going to be thinking about it.'' Holmgren will open the 2002 season with Trent Dilfer as his No. 1 quarterback and Matt Hasselbeck as his backup. Leaf would have been competing for the No. 3 job against rookies Jeff Kelly of Southern Mississippi and Ryan Van Dyke of Michigan State. Leaf was scheduled to earn the NFL minimum salary of $525,000 and he would have counted $450,000 against the salary cap in 2002. 07/26/02 16:02 EDT
