Darius Leonard opens up about the battles he faced last season
Star linebacker of the Indianapolis Colts, Darius Leonard, had a very honest press conference about challenges he faced last season.
Watch any Indianapolis Colts game and you will see linebacker Darius Leonard leading the team. From his thunderous voice to his joyful dancing and inspired play, Leonard carries infectious energy.
While a lot of that was present last season, Leonard admitted in a Wednesday press conference that his energy wasn’t really where he felt it needed to be and that he struggled at times to be the leader many have expected him to be.
Leonard explained that his passion for the game was challenged by several off-field issues with family, a nagging ankle injury, and at times, underperforming play.
In a vulnerable conversation with the media, Leonard detailed these battles and discussed his path of returning to the emphatic leader that he is.
"Sometimes it can build on you. You hold in all of your emotions." -Darius Leonard. https://t.co/UEovc47h0H pic.twitter.com/7SdiLUmhnI
— Brett Bensley (@brettbensley) May 4, 2022
Colts LB Darius Leonard details tough 2021 season
Leonard admits that he “wasn’t in a good mental space” as he was trying to balance the challenges in his personal life and on the football field.
He also mentions how it felt like he fell out of love with football at a point and that he took two months away from the game during the offseason to work on himself.
The work was beneficial because Leonard says that he is now feeling great and is ready to get the season going.
If not for Leonard’s candidness, not many would have guessed that these challenges were present. Everyone knew about the ankle injury, but aside from that, it was easy to assume that Leonard was still his whole self.
On “Hard Knocks” and game days, Leonard was still vocally leading the Colts. Additionally, he was playing great. He had 122 tackles, eight forced fumbles, and four interceptions, and was selected to the Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro.
As the saying goes, you never really know what people are going through. Darius Leonard, who is an advocate for mental health awareness, demonstrated that.
