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When Matt Leinart decided to return to USC for a fifth and senior season, the big joke circulating was that he did it because there were still a handful of women on campus that he hadn’t partied with yet. Or that he couldn’t resist the temptation of one more freshman class. Really, it depends on who was doing the telling. But while many (including me) thought it was fairly nuts for Leinart to turn down the cash that comes with what would have almost assuredly been a top three slot in the draft (if not the overall number one), there was some respect for a kid willing to admit that he wanted to stay in school. That he wasn’t ready to leave school and assume the responsibilities that come with being a pro.

Apparently he’s still not, despite the fact he’s about to enter his third season with the Arizona Cardinals, at least if the recently surfaced photographs of him partying, beerbonging, and hot tubbing with a bunch of underage coeds is any indication. It’s no surprise to see Leinart couldn’t avoid this sort of unwanted attention. At this point it follows him, thanks to a few solid years suckling at the teat of the tabloid limelight. Plus, as the old saying goes, “If you don’t want embarrassing photos of you to appear on the web, don’t pose for pictures with underage chicks in the hottub.” At least he wasn’t on the other end of the beer bong. That would be demeaning.

Since his last days at USC, Leinart has been photographed at so many parties, seen at so many events, and linked to so many women that it’s natural to assume he cloned himself. Not even 25 years old, he’s puffy and seems to be aging faster than Mickey Rourke. The Cardinals have watched him behave more like a reality show celebrity than a staring quarterback since they drafted him. Even before they drafted him. They’ve endured questions about his dedication to the game, and not surprisingly, were a little honked over the pics.

I don’t blame them. Their presumptive starting quarterback has for a while been a punchline among the LA media. A cliche ready to show up anywhere there might be a camera or some starlets. If this was a one time deal, I would agree with those who say the whole thing has been blown out of proportion, that all twentysomethings party. But Leinart isn’t a regular 24 year old, he’s an NFL quarterback, which is a job for grown ups. At the very least, party with a little more class, not in the jam shorts with Nick freakin’ Lachey lurking in the background like a dirty, inappropriate uncle. You’re a rich, young, professional athlete. Most people expect a certain amount of partying, but there’s no reason to live your live like the lifetime social chair for Sigma Chi.

Before he finally moved on, Leinart (along with Reggie Bush) was as big a sports celebrity as this town had to offer, save that Kobe fella, but Leinart didn’t carry Mamba’s toxic baggage. He’d show up at a Laker game and get the sort of applause Kwame Brown would have killed for. In the post-Shaq era, USC was the biggest show in town, and Leinart and Bush were the biggest draws. They transcended the sports pages to the gossip columns, and were treated like megastars in a city where that comes with some serious perks. Seeing how they got sucked into it, I’m not surprised to see some of the problems both have had at the next level.

I’m not trying to make excuses for either one. Again, some partying, especially for young players, is expected and generally tolerated. But in the NFL, nobody cares if you’ve got a great personality, a neat backstory, or a handsome face. Performance is all that matters, and the league will eventually chew up and spit out those who don’t produce any.

I don’t care that Leinart had some beers with some drunk chicks (though the underage thing is obviously dicey), but if I was a big fan of the Cardinals, this would be one more reason to question the guy. I remember sitting at Laker games and talking to people about how Leinart needed to start showing he was serious about football. I remember reading reports of him nuzzling up with Paris Hilton and saying the same thing, only louder. Every time I hear about him at some event or photgraphed about town, it happens again. Perception matters. And right now, most people, including me, think he’s jumped the shark, and that he probably did it a while ago.

No doubt Leinart has the skill to be a good NFL QB, but if he doesn’t want to become one of the great busts to emerge from LA’s college scene, or at the very least would like to be something more than a punchline, he needs to grow up, and fast.

Brian Kamenetzky hosts the Lakers Blog and Blue Notes: A Dodgers Blog for the LA Times.com. He’s a contributing writer to ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com, and can be heard regularly on the Steve Mason Show, on 710 ESPN radio in LA. Write him at bk@sportshubla.com.

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