The Cardinals QB hangs with Will Ferrell, watches sports with Ashton Kutcher, talks trash with Anquan Boldin, shoots hoops with Nick Lachey, has a crush on Jennifer Aniston and still has time for football

Q 1

PLAYBOY: You were cross-eyed and overweight as a kid. How did you end up an NFL quarterback with the Arizona Cardinals?

Matt Leinart: I was the fat, cross-eyed kid with high socks--that whole story. I was born with strabismus, which is when the eye muscles don't work together. I had surgery when I was about a year and a half old and a second operation before my freshman year in high school to strengthen a muscle. But I could play sports, man. That's kind of what kept me cool, I guess.

Q 2

PLAYBOY: Now the tabloids link you to famous women like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. What's true?

Matt Leinart: I've hung out with a few people here and there, but to be honest with you I haven't really dated anyone considered a celebrity. Those things get taken way out of context. It just bewilders me that you can go to a club when a celebrity is there and sit at the same table with them, drinking or partying and having a good time, and the next thing you know you're linked to that person. And then people think, Oh, they 're dating now. Why? Because they were at the same place at the same time? That's just a bunch of bullshit to me. And that happens all the time. I just go out and have a good time, meet somebody and enjoy their company, and the next thing you know it's a story.

Q 3

PLAYBOY: Is it hard to enjoy being young and successful with the paparazzi watching?

Matt Leinart: It's a lot easier to relax out here in Arizona than it is in L.A. Anything you do in L.A. is magnified if you're a celebrity or a high-profile person. They're looking for you to slip up. Sometimes you can't help it, and sometimes you can. That's something I learned. You learn from your mistakes and move on. It's just a pain in the ass. I look at some of my buddies, close friends of mine who are celebrities, and they can't go anywhere without being seen. It's bullshit to me. Let people have their private lives.

Q 4

PLAYBOY: What were your early days like at the University of Southern California?

Matt Leinart: I was a fairly high recruit going into USC, but I didn't think I was that good. I just had the size. Carson Palmer was already there. I sat behind him, and it was terrible. I was an awful quarterback. I had no confidence and could barely throw the ball 10 yards. As a quarterback you need to have confidence. I went through a lot of trial and error those first few years, trying to find out who I was as a person and a player.

Q 5

PLAYBOY: You led USC to an undefeated season and won the Heisman Trophy your junior year. Everyone thought you would enter the NFL draft, but you decided to return to college for your senior year. That decision potentially cost you millions of dollars. Why go back?

Matt Leinart: There were a lot of reasons. First, there was school. I was very close to finishing. It meant a lot to my mom and dad. Even though I'd come off a great game and won the Heisman, I still didn't feel I could physically and mentally be successful at the NFL level. I knew if I came out that year I had to be 100 percent ready and focused to do this and be thrown to the wolves, which is what this is. I don't think I was prepared for that. I loved being a kid and being in college, and I loved my team and my teammates.