Matt Leinart Admits 'Mistakes,' Says, 'I Have to Realize I'm a Role Model and Act Like One'

Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart has been criticized in the press and by his own coach this off-season, mostly because of the widely circulated pictures of him partying.

Some have said the pictures showed nothing more than a guy having a good time in the privacy of his own home, but Leinart told the Orange County Register that he now thinks his free-time activities were "mistakes," and he adds that, "I have to realize I'm a role model and act like one."

Leinart sounds like he wants to change his public image, and if that's the case, his teammate Kurt Warner would be a good guy to emulate. Warner has been in the public eye for close to a decade now, and I can't think of a single time that he's done anything off the field that would be categorized as a "mistake." Leinart has said he's learned a lot from Warner about playing quarterback; it would be good for Leinart to learn from Warner about being a celebrity.