The Colt Lyerla story spiraled from disappointing into just plain sad over the weekend. I've gone from wondering what Lyerla meant to hoping he just plain gets help.

The former Oregon Ducks football star was arrested 2 a.m. on Saturday morning by a Washington County Sheriff on suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants. Sgt. Vance Stimler told The Oregonian that Lyerla is suspected of being high on either illegal drugs or prescription medications when he was pulled over.

A little more than two hours before he was arrested, at 11:44 p.m., Lyerla was busy trying to cut a deal for a tell-all interview with me. Lyerla indicated via text message to Noah Homsley, my radio producer on 750-AM The Game, that he was willing to talk to me --- for the right price.

"After speaking with my agent," Lyerla texted, "if you guys want to pay me to have me on the show then we will do it."

The former Oregon tight end asked for $5,000. Homsley told Lyerla we don't pay for interviews, and asked Lyerla if SB Nation had paid a fee to him for the interview in which Lyerla claimed a mystery Ducks booster had promised him a house and a car for committing to Oregon out of Hillsboro High.

Lyerla shot back: "Can't discuss other business. But I apologize. I meant 10k but I'll split the difference at 7.5k."

By this time, I was also texting with Homsley, telling him to ask Lyerla why it is that he wants to burn down the house at Oregon. Also, to ask if Chip Kelly had stayed in Eugene if anything might have been different for the troubled tight end. Knowing what we know about Lyerla's troubled upbringing, and the enabling that occurred along the way, I'm not sure that there was any other way for Lyerla to turn his story around other than to eventually hit rock bottom.

So is this rock bottom for Lyerla? He failed to make the Green Bay Packers roster, and reached an injury settlement with them. He feels further away from the NFL today than at about any other point of his football career. But this story is no longer about Lyerla's football future, but about the future he wants to have as a human being.

Does he even want a future?

Anyone who has ever navigated the delicate and frustrating task of attempting to help a friend, co-worker or loved one with a substance issue, understands that you can't do it for them. The greatest demons defy all logic, compassion and common sense.

The substance-abuse program Lyerla entered after his arrest for cocaine possession was a charade. He got no help from those who argued he should be able to work out for the NFL combine while trying to straighten out an apparent substance-abuse issue. Lyerla needed deep treatment with no distractions. Like always, Lyerla medicated with football. Like always, when the football went away, problems returned.

Lyerla's text-message exchange on Friday night with my producer only begins to tell the story. It demonstrates his desperation. It reveals his bumbling, distracted, mercurial stream of consciousness. Also, that he needs cash.

He was contacted days earlier for comment. I'd written a column about how Lyerla was making suckers out of us all, holding a match to Oregon's house. He waited until late Friday night to reply, presumably right before climbing behind the wheel of a vehicle where he might have seriously injured or killed someone else, or even himself. I doubt he was much worried about either.

Homsley asked: "Who promised you the house?"

Lyerla answered: "haha... why would I answer that question?"

Homsley replied: "Because credibility depends on it. Lots of people think it's not true. Why protect someone who played you?"

Lyerla: "Because that wasn't the point of the story... that was a small part of it. And people are blowing it up like I'm trying to hurt Oregon when I'm not."

He may not realize it, but Lyerla did hurt Oregon. UO Senior Associate Athletic Director Craig Pintens told me in the press box on Saturday that the Ducks absolutely took Lyerla's accusation seriously. They are dedicating resources (time, staff, money) to investigating his allegation.

"Will Lyerla talk to you guys?" I asked.

"I don't know; probably not," Pintens said, "we don't have subpoena power."

How or why Lyerla settled on the $7,500 figure as the asking price for an interview with him is anyone's guess. He may believe he has a story of value to tell. He may have simply been calculating the cost of his next few scores.

Lyerla asked for a check, made out in his name. He refused to answer the questions about Kelly, or whether or not he still had friends inside the program at Oregon, texting, "I'm not answering those questions right now."

Still, Homsley kept digging.

He texted: "Why do you want to be paid? We have never paid for an interview. Did SB Nation pay?"

Lyerla: "Why do you want me on the show? If you want my time, and to bash me on the air then that's what it will take."

Homsley: "Are you interested in telling your side of the story? Or trying to make money?"

It was nearly midnight now. Lyerla would be arrested within two hours, and accused of being under the influence of drugs. He never answered that final question. We may never get an answer.

--- @JohnCanzanoBFT