Former Washington State and NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf was arrested Friday in Palm Springs, California, according to jail records.
Leaf, 44, was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic battery by the Palm Desert Police Department at 1:59 p.m. Friday, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s office jail records. Leaf is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday and is being held on $5,000 bail.
Leaf played for the Cougars from 1995-97 and led them to the 1998 Rose Bowl, their first appearance in the game in 67 years. He was selected with the second overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers.
The former quarterback has had a history of substance-abuse and legal troubles. In 2014, Leaf was sentenced to five years for breaking into a home in Montana to steal prescription drugs, and for violating a probation. He was arrested twice in 2012 and charged with burglary and theft of prescription drugs.
Leaf has been engaged to Anna Kleinsorge, a former Georgetown volleyball player, since 2017. Kleinsorge gave birth to their first child, McGyver, in October of 2017. Leaf was formerly married to Nicole Lucia, at the time a cheerleader for the San Diego Chargers – but the two separated in 2003 and later filed for divorce.
Leaf has been open about his road to sobriety since and was hired by ESPN as a college football analyst in 2019.
This story will be updated.