Ryan Leaf, former second overall pick in the NFL Draft, had a heated encounter with Dr. David Chao, a former team physician for the San Diego Chargers, during a sports talk radio session on Wednesday, according to a local host.
Scott Kaplan, from *Kaplan and crew* in San Diego, shared that Leaf, while waiting for his segment, let the audience know about the confrontation with Chao, who has a notable presence online.
Kaplan commended Chao for staying composed amid the situation.
“I didn’t do anything big,” Chao stated. “I wish Ryan the best. In my decade here at Radio Row, I’ve seen him many times, but this is the first time he’s talked to me. Earlier this season, when Quentin Jammer defended me during Ryan’s unexpected attacks, he claimed, ‘I told him to his face.’ I was like, ‘No.’ That was my first exchange with Ryan since he left San Diego. I attended Ryan’s wedding. We truly hope he has a successful recovery and everything else. I didn’t engage in the argument.”
Chao mentioned that he never felt in danger during their encounter.
The disagreement seems linked to Leaf’s perceptions of Chao’s involvement after Junior Seau’s tragic passing in 2012.
Chao recounted that Leaf questioned whether he had approached Gina Seau to dissuade Junior from undergoing a brain examination, to which Chao responded that Leaf had misinterpreted the facts.
“The day after Junior’s death, Gina and my oldest daughter visited to seek guidance on studying the brain. I went to the NIH to learn more, and I told them, ‘You’re getting your facts wrong, you’re mistaken,'” Chao elaborated. “Regardless, I’m not getting involved in that.”
Chao suggested that Leaf could join her podcast to delve deeper into the matter, but Leaf turned down the offer.
Kaplan expressed confusion over Leaf’s behavior. “It’s completely unprofessional to approach someone at Radio Row with credentials to work for or as a guest for others, then launch a verbal attack and escalate to a physical confrontation.”
The tension between Leaf and Chao extends beyond Seau’s case.
Leaf was with the Chargers from 1998 to 2001, while Chao served the team from 1997 to 2013.
In 2002, Leaf filed a lawsuit against Chao regarding his medical treatment, although he later dropped the case. Chao faced further difficulties when the NFL Players Association sought to remove him from his physician role.
A review in 2013 found three independent doctors who “completely exonerated” Chao.
