Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard recently had surgery and the news led to fans comparing the talented linebacker to Andrew Luck.
Throughout the on-field portion of the offseason for the Indianapolis Colts, there was some mystery surrounding linebacker Darius Leonard and his lack of participation. Many wondered if he was still dealing with the ankle injury that hampered him during the season and the team wasn’t necessarily giving concrete answers.
On Tuesday, June 7, the Colts started mandatory minicamp and Leonard wasn’t present. The team provided clarity on the situation by announcing that Leonard’s ankle was doing well but that he did undergo back surgery on Tuesday.
This news caught many off guard because it essentially came out of nowhere. While the team is hopeful that Leonard will be prepared to play when the season kicks off, many fans are worried about the All-Pro defender that is the heartbeat of this Indianapolis team.
The worry amongst fans and media members is growing to a point that many are starting to believe Leonard’s career will take an Andrew Luck-type arch. However, that’s a thought that everyone needs to let go of.
Surgery went well, feeling amazing and ready to get back going! If you know me you know I always come back way better than I was! Let’s go man ankle feels amazing and can’t wait to get back moving! Thanks for the texts and calls! https://t.co/jMpee1PStc
— Darius Shaquille Leonard (@dsleon45) June 7, 2022
Darius Leonard is being compared to Andrew Luck
There are some similarities in Luck’s and Leonard’s situations. Both players had a great start to their Colts career and had some injuries that the team discussed rather mysteriously. However, that’s commonplace in the NFL.
Players get hurt, often. It’s the unfortunate reality of the physical sport that football is. Additionally, teams don’t share every update with the world. While everyone likes access, teams and players reserve the right to withhold information until they have a better grasp of all the details of a situation.
So the overlying themes between Andrew Luck and Darius Leonard are really just common factors that exist in the NFL. It would be great if all franchise players never got hurt, but that’s just unrealistic. However, Colts fans shouldn’t worry about Leonard unexpectedly retiring, he’s made that clear after catching wind of the comparison.
You sound so fucking stupid with that remark! Me expressing my feelings and being honest about what I was dealing with is me saying that I’m going to retire? Cut it out man, just like you I go through problems with my job but guess what I live, I learn and adapt!
— Darius Shaquille Leonard (@dsleon45) May 4, 2022
The truth is, the Andrew Luck situation was traumatic for Indianapolis. Luck was a generational player that was leading Indy to a lot of success but injuries led to that journey ending faster than many expected.
It’s a situation the Colts are still working to move past on the field and fans are also working to move on from it. It’s also an anomaly of a situation. The reason Indianapolis hasn’t been able to easily move on is that it’s not something that happens every day.
It’s also not something that will probably happen in Indianapolis anytime soon. NFL players get hurt, especially linebackers that are as involved as Darius Leonard. However, injuries don’t mean that retirement is on the horizon.
Fans need to just wish for a full recovery for Darius Leonard and work on releasing the trauma that was picked up from watching Andrew Luck leave.
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