Is John Daly Destined to Become Ryan Leaf?

Two of the saddest sporting careers of all-time have unexpectedly intersected at the corner of bleak and blacklisted this week.

The boozy John Daly was taken into custody after apparently passing out outside of a Hooters Restaurant, the same Hooters establishment which Daly clings to as the last of his high-profile corporate sponsors, so he could sleep it off. It also bears noting that Winston Salem, home to Wake Forest University, isn't exactly Las Vegas.

Then there is the meltdown-prone Ryan Leaf, former Heisman Trophy finalist, Rose Bowl quarterback and No. 2 overall NFL draft pick, first accused of obtaining a controlled substance by fraudulent means, now resigned from his post as quarterback coach and men’s golf coach at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas.

For a former first round NFL draft pick, only passed over for Peyton Manning, failing in Canyon is the end of the line. It appears that Daly has now entered the West Texas A&M stage of his life. This is his last stand.

This has been a banner year for Daly, but not for good behavior and excellent golf.

He’s earned just $56,017 in 17 PGA Tour events, easily his worst effort since he broke through with an upset victory at the 1991 PGA Championship.

His off-course incidents have far outnumbered the number of cuts he’s made this season.

He started the year off with a bang at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic where his exploits included a duet with Alice Cooper. Local newspapers reported Daly being helped out an after party.

At the PODS Championship near Tampa, Florida, Daly emerged from the Hooters tent following a rain delay with Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach John Gruden as his caddie. He would fail to make the cut, but spent Saturday drinking with fans and signing autographs in the Hooters tent.

In what actually does appear to be a miscommunication, Daly missed his Pro-Am tee time at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Invitational and was disqualified. In a noble gesture, Daly invited his Pro-Am playing partners to an outing at nearby Celebration Golf Club in Orlando.

Later he teamed with Detroit rocker Kid Rock during a Pro-Am event at the Buick Open at Warwick Hills, where he ripped a drive off of a Budweiser can. He also played shirtless at John Daly’s Murder Rock Golf Club in Branson, Missouri. Both became YouTube classics.

Daly told the Associated Press that the most recent incident at Hooters was a simple misunderstanding, that people panicked and if they’d known he sleeps with his eyes open after a night of drinking, the police would’ve never been called.

The executives at Hooters must believe Daly’s side of the story because in this day and age of knee jerk reactions for bad publicity, Hooters isn’t saying anything about the incident and according to CNBC.com , it appears that he’ll stay on as a company pitchman.

The article reads, “On the surface, you’d think Hooters has to drop Daly. All signs pointed to him getting “overserved” at one of their establishments. But it’s not that easy. For one, Hooters knows exactly who John Daly is. He’s the every man. That’s why they signed him. He’s a very risky proposition. That’s why despite mistake after mistake they are still with him.”

Daly’s had a lifetime of second chances, and even with the leeway offered by an association with a restaurant known for cold drafts and drafty attire, my feeling is that one more mistake will land Daly in Ryan Leaf territory.

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