Current and former Colts react to Shaquille Leonard being waived by Indy
On Tuesday, the Indianapolis Colts waived star linebacker Shaquille Leonard and the move drew a lot of reactions from current and former players.
By Noah Compton
The Indianapolis Colts did the hard deed of moving on from a fan favorite and former Defensive Rookie of the Year in Shaquille Leonard. The move may end up being the best-case scenario for both sides but as it stands, shock and awe is the main feeling that both the fanbase and former/current players are feeling.
The outpour of social media reactions began with Shaquille Leonard himself revealing the news and showing gratitude toward the organization that took a chance on him, especially when many across the league deemed his draft selection as the worst pick in the draft.
Indy, I thank you 💜 pic.twitter.com/VxMa1VU2IA
— Darius Shaquille Leonard (@dsleon45) November 21, 2023
Colts players from now and then took their feelings to social media as they showed sadness and provided appreciation for former teammate Shaquille Leonard. On Twitter/X, notable Colts such as Kenny Moore II, Zaire Franklin, and TY Hilton reacted with a combination of surprise and sorrow.
gonna miss you bro. one of a kind, what a time. thank you wholeheartedly for everything. Love.
— Kenny Moore II (@KennyKennyMoe3) November 21, 2023
⚡️ pic.twitter.com/aanWEsvnWV
53. Since Day1 came in and made ya mark. Your legacy is written in stone brudda. Always love gang 🖤 pic.twitter.com/czMST6z3oh
— Zaire Franklin (@ZiggySmalls_) November 21, 2023
FIVEEEEEEEEEE TREEEEEEEEEEE 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
— TY Hilton (@TYHilton13) November 21, 2023
Obviously there is more than just Twitter/X when it comes to social media and Instagram is the site that saw numerous heartfelt posts that appreciated everything that Shaquille Leonard has done.
These posts in question were mainly comprised of Leonard's former running mates at linebacker, from his fellow starter in Bobby Okereke to those he helped mentor and ultimately pave the way for in EJ Speed and Segun Olubi.
"All love to my brother. Anything I ever needed from day 1, on and off the field, my dawg made happen. Thank you for playing a major role in my development as a player! The
- EJ Speed
"greatest teammate and person" I've been around in my NFL career. The real always win in the end!"
"Great man, learned a lot from you. Thank you for being a great teammate and friend."
- Segun Olubi
"Much love bro."
- Bobby Okereke
Star running back Jonathan Taylor added his own heartfelt message as well, calling Leonard the "definition of a pro," and following that up with, "if you wanna learn this game, you have to learn from the right people."
Needless to say, regardless of how people feel about the decision when it comes to why or how this happened, Darius Shaquille Leonard left a positive imprint on not just the organization but the entire city of Indianapolis as well.
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