Los Angeles Times

Sam Farmer: Combat veterans, former pro athletes bare their souls in program

LOS ANGELES - Their weekly meeting place is a West Hollywood gym, tucked above the Sunset Strip, where they gather every Thursday afternoon.

But their common ground? Immeasurable.

Most are combat veterans. Others are former professional athletes, many ex-NFL players. They have busted knees, rebuilt shoulders, sometimes amputations and often emotional scars that run even deeper.

Each is searching for his or her place in the everyday world.

"The first time I came here, I thought I was coming in just to be an inspiration to the vets and talk," said former quarterback Ryan Leaf, who uses the story of his addiction and failed football career as a motivational cautionary tale. "The NFL players still think we're supposed to be the inspiration for these

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times8 min read
California Sikhs Are Driving A Separatist Movement. India Calls Them Terrorists
STOCKTON, Calif. — This farming city in the Central Valley has made headlines for its financial struggles and its annual asparagus festival. But thousands of miles away in India, it is a symbol of terrorism. To hear the Hindu-dominated media and gove
Los Angeles Times2 min readCrime & Violence
Good Samaritan Stabbed To Death While Trying To Quell Altercation Between His Neighbors
LOS ANGELES — A man trying to rescue a neighbor from a violent assault in a Westminster apartment complex was stabbed to death early Saturday morning, authorities said. Alvaro Martin-Perez, 48, was trying to intervene in a dispute between roommates w
Los Angeles Times3 min read
Kanye West Barely Performs In Headlining Set At Rolling Loud
LOS ANGELES — Whatever Kanye West was paid to headline the first night of this weekend's Rolling Loud California festival, it was easy money. Onstage for about an hour Thursday evening with Ty Dolla Sign — his partner on the chart-topping "Vultures 1

Related Books & Audiobooks