Darius Leonard shares details on mystery back surgery with Pat McAfee

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard (53) works to pump up the crowd Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021, during a game against the New England Patriots at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard (53) works to pump up the crowd Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021, during a game against the New England Patriots at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. /
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Star linebacker of the Indianapolis Colts, Darius Leonard, provided detail to Pat McAfee about the recent back procedure that he had.

On Tuesday, June 7, the Indianapolis Colts announced that Darius Leonard had undergone back surgery and the hope is that he will be ready in time for the regular season. This announcement caught everyone off guard because it was a random development.

Many knew that Leonard had been dealing with an ankle injury dating back to last year, but there was no news about any issues with Leonard’s back. Turns out, the back procedure is actually connected to the lingering ankle issue.

When news broke on Tuesday about Leonard’s surgery, Pat McAfee had a live reaction on his show candidly expressing how bad the update was. Darius took to Twitter to let McAfee know that it was actually good news and to give him a call so that he can update him.

That’s exactly what McAfee did and he shared the update with fans on Wednesday’s episode of “The Pat McAfee Show.”

Darius Leonard’s back surgery stems from ankle injury

According to McAfee, Leonard says that the back surgery is hopefully the end solution to his lingering ankle issue. Darius Leonard was having trouble with the functioning of his ankle and several test and scans revealed that it was a result of a nerve issue in his back.

The procedure on Tuesday was to address the nerve issue and to ultimately provide Darius Leonard with a full functioning and healthy ankle, something Leonard didn’t have in a Defensive Player of the Year-worthy 2021 campaign.

Leonard has already told everyone that he and his ankle feels amazing and that he will be back better than ever. An improved Leonard is a scary sight for the NFL but something the Colts would love to have.

Indy has added some quality pieces around Leonard on the defense and the Colts have the chance to have one of the league’s best units under Leonard’s lead. For that to happen, it’s important that Darius Leonard gets healthy.