(NewsNation) — Former college football star and NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf says he can relate to the despair former University of Michigan football head coach Sherrone Moore is likely feeling after being fired.
Moore was taken into custody by police Wednesday after being fired by the school over what university officials say was an “inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”
The 39-year-old spent two seasons as the Wolverines’ head coach and was coming off back-to-back winning seasons with the program. Moore is married with three young daughters.
In a statement to NewsNation on Thursday, the prosecutor’s office in Washtenaw County, where Ann Arbor is located, said, “The matter involving Mr. Moore remains under active investigation by law enforcement, and as a result, we do not expect charging decisions or an arraignment today.”
The local Pittsfield Police Department added that a suspect in an alleged assault investigation would be arraigned Friday.
Speaking on “Elizabeth Vargas Reports,” Leaf said he could relate to Moore’s life crashing down around him.
“I also have a very relatable mindset to when your life goes off the rails, the way you self-destruct in that moment. I remember when my life fell apart because of my addiction to painkillers. I was coaching in West Texas and the first thought in my mind was, ‘I can’t be on this Earth anymore,'” Leaf said.
“That is the initial reaction. You have so much shame around what is going on, you don’t have the bigger picture, you can’t see yourself possibly getting past this. I can relate to it. I can understand it, it’s still incredibly shocking.”
NewsNation’s Michael Ramsey and Meg Hilling contributed to this report.