Darius Leonard was raised on a farm bailing hay, raising crops, hunting, fishing, and everything else many southerners do growing up. Three months after she arrived, Mia had a very important job. That's why they teamed up with Anthem to promote Blue Ticket to Health. "I always wanted a big wedding and he knew I wanted a big wedding. Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard is entering his third NFL season as a star on the rise. Did Pats make Mac Jones happy? Leonard saved his best for last, as he posted career highs in total tackles (113) and sacks (812) as a senior while picking off two more passes and forcing one fumble. The highest annual salary for an off ball linebacker in the NFL is currently Bobby Wagner's contract at 18 million per year. Keivonte always wanted to make everyone laugh.. Unlike other brothers, his younger brother, Darius Shaquille Leonard, is an accomplished American football linebacker for the NFL team Indianapolis Colts. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. According to his LinkedIn profile, he worked as an assistant coach at the Bullis School, Potomac, Maryland, from September 2012 to January 2014. [15] Head coach Frank Reich named Leonard the starting weakside linebacker to start the regular season in 2018, alongside Najee Goode and middle linebacker Anthony Walker Jr.[16], He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Colts' season-opener against the Cincinnati Bengals and recorded nine combined tackles and recovered a fumble in their 3423 loss. ", "She's stuck beside me through thick and thin. In the game, Leonard recorded a team high ten tackles and an interception off Deshaun Watson in the 3023 win. "It was definitely tough, but everybody there was keeping her head straight, letting her know that it was going to be alright.". Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Kayla and Darius have known each other for almost their entire lives. The Colts defense went from 27th in defense-adjusted value over average in 2017 to 10th with Leonard in 2018. He was a big clown, Leonard says, smiling. But he admits that smile is sometimes forced. He doesnt hide his displeasure for not making the Pro Bowl last season. A post shared by Darius Shaquille Leonard (@mr_highflyer10). Leonard (center) gathered at the home of his in-laws with his siblings (clockwise from bottom left) Anthony Waters, Henri Walters, Jaquanna Davis, Diayah Williams, Latasha Waters, mother Lynette Walters, daughter Mia, and wife Kayla Leonard. I dont take nothing for granted. Despite their scarcity, the meals were good. But Colts linebacker Darius Leonard and his wife, Kayla, have known each other for as far back as they can remember. No words need to be spoken. Leonard has been informally nicknamed "Maniac" due to his energetic and productive on-field play. Leonard is still recovering from back surgery he underwent on June 7. "He set this goal and he reached it, he set this goal and he reached it, and then one day he was like, 'I'm going to play in the NFL,'" Kayla said. 6 pick. State Sen. Darius Brown discuss an upcoming "safe surrender" event at a press conference at the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center in Wilmington on Monday May 1, 2023. after going through his own struggles following the death of his Some couples feel like they've known each other forever. On March 20, 2018, Leonard participated at South Carolina State's pro day and performed the rest of his combine drills. Did Darius Leonard change his name to Shaquille? The last thing he wanted for his mother to do was embarrass him for his mistakes, as she did when she went to his school during his sophomore year and scolded him for getting in trouble, threatening him by saying she would take away sports. It was a matter of getting by and adapting. So far, he's doing a good job of it. I can't wait to have a few more and give her some brothers and sisters.". Leonard's enjoyment of football was further hindered by a bout with COVID-19 at a crucial point of the 2021 regular season, as well as the seemingly constant pull of worry about a couple of sick . After Darius junior year of high school, Keivonte left Lake View for Columbia, South Carolina, where he attended Benedict College on a basketball scholarship. Leonard looks forward to celebrating that milestone, but he knows he is going to get it the same way he gets everything else: with hard work and Kaylas support. He is known by many as Darius. Growing up in Lake View, South Carolina, a town of less than 800 people - they pretty much knew everyone. 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. You won't want to miss a moment of the 2023 season! Kayla spotted him drifting from the celebration, so she followed him to the back of the room. I went by Shaquille my whole life and I understand that itll be a hard change to be called Shaquille after being called Darius for 4 years. But Leonard didnt seem to want to talk about it with Kayla, or anyone. No way I should be seeing a heart specialist. The drive to joyfully be a relentless tackler, responsive husband and engaged father to his 9-month-old daughter, Mia, is fueled by the memory of his brother. Leonard has sadly had to overcome two of his older brothers, Charlie and Cody Waters, being in prison, according to ESPN. [3] Leonard finished the season with 124 tackles, 1412 tackles for loss, 312 sacks, two interceptions, three pass break-ups, and four forced fumbles. Leonard missed three of those early games in concussion protocol after an injury in Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans. Daryl King, their high school coach, would frequently phone Waters. The June sun reflects off iridescent dragonflies that zip in the South Carolina morning air. Then her voice cracked. He had 19 tackles and a blocked field goal in a 59-0 loss to Clemson in 2016. In 13 games, Leonard racked up 121 total tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles, and five interceptions. Getting drafted, his brother not being there. Leonard became the highest-paid outside linebacker in the NFL when he signed a five-year, $99.25 million contract with the Colts on August 8, 2021, which included a $52.5 million guaranteed extension. Despite missing three games due to injury, Leonard had a team-leading 121 tackles including 71 solos, six tackles for loss, five sacks, six passes defended, five interceptions, and two forced fumbles. In Week 17 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Leonard led the team with 10 tackles and recorded a strip sack on Mike Glennon that was recovered by the Colts during the 2814 win. Katy Kellner Bio: Early Life, Husband, Baby Who Is Angelia Jefferson? Do check my articles through Players Bio. I have a empty spot if my heart that nobody can fill up but you! After we greeted one another, he tucked his jewelry into his shirt. "Just the way he looks at her - it's crazy. Leonard tried counseling too, but after four visits, he quit. He returned in Week 4, and suffered a concussion and broken nose in the game, missing the next three games. He and Kayla imagine Keivonte watching Darius play on Sundays and playing with their daughter at home. There was the trailer park on the gravel road, where he met his father for the first time at the age of 13. Darius played three varsity sports in high school and as a senior led Lake View to the lower state championship. Her heart is big. Anthony Waters, brother of Darius Leonard, is a former American football linebacker. When he returned home one day, Anthony recalls giving Darius a duffle bag filled with cones, resistance wires, and a speed ladder and telling him, If you want to make it, you will have to go and get it on your own.. I love you bro and I miss you more than anyone will ever know! In 2016, as a redshirt junior, he got a chance to show Clemson, the national championship runner-up, what it was missing. According to the police report, Keivonte was thrown or slammed against a wall. He struck his head, immediately after which he became unconscious and was rushed to the hospital. But in the almost eight years since, she has seen him cry countless times. I wasn't happy. I just wanted to hug him, and say, Im sorry. . weight. Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard said he was asked to leave a Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant in South Carolina after he became the target of a lie because of the color of his skin . He also said that Cody is in prison for being an accessory at a wrong place, wrong time, ESPN also reported. So he got off to an early start. Colts star Darius Leonards first two years in the league have been among the best debuts ever by a linebacker. He wanted to play at Clemson, like his brother, Anthony Waters. Domonique Foxworth is a senior writer at Andscape. Another brother of his, Keivonte Waters, died in 2012 after an altercation at a club, according to ESPN. A good partner brings out the best in you. He was ranked as the sixth best inside linebacker prospect in the draft by NFL analyst Mel Kiper Jr. and was ranked the seventh best outside linebacker by DraftScout.com. Damn I miss you man, A post shared by Darius Shaquille Leonard (@mr_highflyer10) on Dec 15, 2019 at 5:35am PST, Robert Mathis Went From Underrated Fifth-Round Pick to $70 Million Sack Artist. [22] On November 18, 2018, Leonard made seven combined tackles, one pass deflection, one sack, and his first career interception during a 3810 victory against the Tennessee Titans in Week 11. Ranks: PPR | non-PPR | Cheat Sheets way I'm 19, 20 years old feeling this way, no way I should be getting it inside.". Anthony During His Collegiate Days (Source: 247 Sports), When he returned home one day, Anthony recalls giving Darius a duffle bag filled with cones, resistance wires, and a speed ladder and telling him, If you want to make it, you will have to go and get it on your own.. As a child Leonard looked up to and would compete with his brother Anthony Waters with hopes to one day follow in his footsteps to play football at Clemson. Ain't not like putting a smile on your mother face! Used to be that whenever a wave of anxiety like that would hit me, I'd think I was having a heart attack. Depth charts: Offense | Defense Eventually, he got the courage to ask her out. In a mid-November performance against the Miami Dolphins, he recorded 11 solo tackles, a sack and an interception, becoming one of only two players in NFL history to record 10 sacks and four interceptions in his first two seasons (the other is Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher). However, Clemson was waiting for Leonard to qualify academically before offering him a scholarship. I didnt want him to be in that area because I knew what was going on there. He tackled some tough questions from New York Post columnist Steve Serby. Darius was 510 (156 cm) and 135 lbs. Sign up now: It's free to play! "It was definitely tough being away from the team, not being able to go out there and help your brothers out," Leonard said. Anthony played in the NFL for four years despite being told he would make the same mistakes as his elder brothers and get arrested. When I was dirt broke, she was still right beside me. My chest gets tight. I wanted her to come up with me. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. (He somehow was not a Pro Bowl selection.) Leonard was never a top-rated prospect, particularly not before a growth spurt after his junior year of high school, but he was good enough to garner interest from several schools. Once I did reach out, I knew that's what made it It's something we talked about, something that I really wanted.". Darius Leonard grew up in a small town, Lake View, in Dillon County, South Carolina, United States. I wasn't the full energetic guy I would Leonard makes a video with students during a Giveback Event at his former school, Lake View Elementary, where he handed out Lands End backpacks and winter coats. He recently took part in a roundtable "We took a picture together and we were right beside each other. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. "Me breaking down, showing my Denial. His gleaming black Benz SUV sits in the driveway, but we are just a few miles from the trailer park where he lived for a couple of years as a kid, one of the 15 or 20 places he called home as a child. Leonard returned to his hometown of Lake View, South Carolina, during the teams bye week. He earned first-team All-Pro honors by leading the league in tackles, notched seven sacks and had two interceptions. Leonard pushes away sympathy from his family. Darius closest sibling, Keivonte, died when Darius was in high school. [4] He also won the MEAC defensive player of the year award again after the 2017 season. On Saturday, July 30, NFL Network will present Training Camp: Back Together Saturday. Leonard has the most total All-Pro selections and the most First Team All-Pro selections by a linebacker in Colts history. In 10 games in 2017, Leonard had 113 total tackles, eight sacks, two interceptions, and one forced fumble, according to South Carolina States team site. He died the next day. Anger. She said, "Yes." With NFL+, stay connected throughout the rest of the NFL offseason with special content from Training Camp, Hall of Fame, and more! We had a great time.". I also knew that was the route I didnt want to go. And the Eagles feel the same way about their new acquisition, with GM Howie Roseman already looking forward to seeing what Swift can do playing with his hometown team. at your next game day gathering! A few months later, Kayla had a surprise for Darius - she was expecting.
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