Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard is famous for compartmentalizing criticism from all angles and using it as motivation when he takes the field.
He’s done that through saving articles, remembering names, and liking tweets. But this version of Leonard bookmarking criticism has perhaps gone too far … on both ends of the spectrum.
We’ve talked at length about the Colts’ low player-vaccination rate, but we don’t know who is and isn’t vaccinated. And quite frankly it’s none of our business.
But apparently some fans have gathered information to suggest Leonard is among the players who are against the COVID-19 vaccine and have been ripping him on social media.
Leonard, in response, is liking all the tweets calling him out, for some reason. This isn’t exactly the “motivation” you’re looking for, is it?
Colts LB Darius Leonard is taking heat on social media for opposing the COVID-19 vaccine.
It’s unclear what Leonard or his wife, Kayla, have posted about the vaccine, but there appear to be frustrated fans who have seen it.
A quick scan of their Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts show nothing, so it’s unclear what these Twitter users are enraged about.
Leonard liked all of these within the last 24 hours and then dropped this message for the public on Wednesday evening.
https://twitter.com/dsleon45/status/1405224554289676288?s=20
Unfortunately for all parties involved, this isn’t what we want. We really don’t want Twitter trolls with 10 followers taking aim at NFL players for not getting vaccinated, and we certainly don’t want NFL players of Leonard’s caliber paying any mind to such criticism … even if it’s only in the form of “liking” tweets to bring them out as receipts at a later date.
The vaccination topic will be a touchy one, especially because the NFL’s protocols actually put teams that have a lower player vaccination rate at a disadvantage, and fans will be upset if their team is enduring an uphill battle during the 2021 season after what we all just endured last year.
But it’s up to the players. And this is what we have to deal with. So let’s just … not do this? Please? This is the exact kind of publicity the Colts don’t need from arguably their most recognizable player.
Colts: Should fans be concerned about team’s low vaccination rate?
The Indianapolis Colts have one of the lowest vaccination rates of any team in the NFL. Should fans be worried about this heading into 2021?