'COULD GIVE TWO S***S'
Vincent Jackson death – Ex-Chargers QB says NFL ‘doesn’t f***ing care’ after former teammate found dead in Florida hotel
EX-quarterback Ryan Leaf has accused NFL bosses of "not f***ing caring" about Vincent Jackson's death.
"My and nobody’s doing a goddamn thing about it," he said in an emotional video.
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The former San Diego Chargers and Dallas Cowboys footballer has previously spoken about dealing with mental health and substance abuse in his Montana hometown.
But he was prompted to speak out this week following the shock death of ex-Buccaneers star Vincent Jackson, 38, in Florida.
was found dead on Monday, February 15, at the Homewood Suites in Palm River Road, Brandon.
Leaf hit out at the sport for failing to care about its former players’ health.
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On Twitter, he honed in on NFL bosses' attitude towards footballers' mental health issues upon quitting the field.
During his two-minute tirade Leaf said he refused to "stand by and watch my brothers disappear because the multi-billion [dollar] corporation won’t do the right thing".
He added: "I don’t know what the f*** to do anymore. My NFL brothers continue to die and nobody’s doing a goddamn thing about it.
"The NFL just doesn’t f***ing care. They don’t care.
"They’ll write condolence letters and s**t like that, but if they were invested, they’d actually put some money behind the Legends Community and into the mental health, substance abuse side of it.
"Once you’re bad for the brand, the shield, they could give two s***s."
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Leaf also said he was struggling with “survivor’s guilt” in his emotional video.
"I don’t know what the hell to do. They don’t get how precious life is. Then I have this f***ing survivor's guilt. A ton of it."
He begged chiefs: "You need to do something. Just be part of the solution, please."
According to hotel staff, , who is a resident, checked into Homewood Suites on January 11 and had been staying in a room since that date.
On February 10, sheriffs spoke with Jackson’s family members who called to report him missing.
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A formal report was filed on February 11, but after Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office "assessed Jackson’s well-being, the missing persons case was canceled" on February 12.
The sports star was then tragically found dead at "about 11.30am on February 15 in his hotel room by a housekeeper".
There were no apparent signs of trauma, said the Sheriff’s Office, and a cause of death has yet to be determined by the county medical examiner.
In a statement, Buccaneers owner Bryan Glazer said: "We are shocked and saddened to hear the terrible news regarding the loss of Vincent Jackson.
"During his five seasons with our franchise, Vincent was a consummate professional, who took a great deal of pride in his performance on and off the football field."
Glazer went on to describe Jackson as a "dedicated father, husband, businessman and philanthropist, who made a deep impact on our community."
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Leaf spent the 2001 preseason with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but was released before the start of the season.
The former NFL quarterback's football career kicked off while a star sportsman at Washington State University, followed by becoming a Heisman Trophy finalist and second-overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers.
Four years later he was out of professional football and became addicted to prescription pills, which led to burglary and drug charges and a prison sentence, Leaf said in 2019.
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As a pro athlete, “I was making $5 million a year and was miserable,” Leaf recalled.
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Years later, as program ambassador for Transcend Recovery, an addiction treatment center in Los Angeles “I was making $15 an hour and felt valued.”
In October 2020, Leaf admitted a domestic violence charge in a plea deal with prosecutors in which he avoided jail time, reported the .
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