'Complete lie': Colts owner Jim Irsay slams notion he wanted Ryan Leaf over Peyton Manning
Over the past couple of weeks, history surrounding the debate the Indianapolis Colts faced during the 1998 NFL draft between quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf has been revisited.
On Tuesday, franchise owner Jim Irsay pushed back on comments Leaf made the day before in an appearance on "The Dan Patrick Show," indicating that Irsay preferred Leaf over Manning, the team's eventual selection.
"That is a complete untruth and a complete lie," Irsay told ESPN of Leaf’s comments. "I was behind Peyton for two or three months before the draft ... I don't know who created that, but I wanted to unequivocally make sure the record is straight, because that's not true."
Manning famously went on to have one of the best careers at the position in NFL history, culminating with his first-ballot induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021.
Leaf, meanwhile, was the eventual No. 2 pick by the San DIego Chargers and played only three seasons in the NFL before washing out after battles with substance abuse and addiction. As a result, Leaf is largely considered one of the biggest busts in NFL draft history.
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"It’s not that I thought Ryan was going to bust out and not play well," Irsay told ESPN. "I didn’t know the problems and the difficulties that he’d run into. But one thing is unequivocally true: I wanted Peyton. I mean, a month before the draft, there wasn’t any question.
"I was shocked when I saw that (we wanted to pick Leaf) because it’s just not true ... I’m pissed off that it would even be put out there. I could bring you 10 people that would tell you it’s not true."
In his career, Leaf threw for 3,666 yards, with 14 touchdowns versus 36 interceptions.
Manning threw for 71,940 yards, with 539 touchdowns against 251 interceptions. He won five AP Most Valuable Player awards, was named to the All-Pro team seven times, earned 14 Pro Bowl selections and was a two-time Super Bowl champion.
"I mean, this never came up for 25 years," Irsay said. "Why would it come up now? I mean, what the hell?"
What did Ryan Leaf say about Jim Irsay's potential interest during the 1998 NFL draft?
Leaf had bristled at comments made by former Colts general manager Bill Polian about Leaf's attitude during pre-draft meetings and said he was "tired of the revisionist history." Yet, during the appearance on "The Dan Patrick Show," Leaf may have been doing much of the same.
"I think Jim Irsay really wanted me," Leaf said during the interview. "You can really understand why. We’re both impulsive individuals and I think that makes a little more sense 25 years later. Him and I had a conversation about it.
"I asked him a question ... I was like, 'How close was I to being a Colt?' He said, 'I talked to a guy that I trust immensely in the NFL' — he had been in the NFL for a long time — 'he flat out told me: [You can't pass on this Leaf kid.] And I said, 'Good thing you didn't listen to him.' "
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Colts' Jim Irsay slams claim he wanted Ryan Leaf over Peyton Manning
