Ahead of retirement, Shaquille Leonard's former teammates celebrate impact 'generational talent' made on and off the field

As rookie linebackers in 2018, Shaquille Leonard and Zaire Franklin were roommates on the road. Prior to their second game in the NFL, Franklin got sick – and he was snoring so loud at night the only place Leonard could find enough relief to sleep was in the bathtub of the hotel room they shared.

Despite his porcelain mattress, Leonard went out the next day against Washington and had 19 tackles with a sack, a pass break-up and a forced fumble. Those 19 tackles stood – and will stand – as the most he ever had in a game.

Nothing could stop Leonard, it seemed. He won the 2018 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, was named a first-team AP All-Pro three times and made three Pro Bowls. He's the only player in NFL history to total 15+ sacks, 15+ forced fumbles and 10+ interceptions in a 60-game span, which he did from 2018-2021.

"He was a rare talent the linebacker position," defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said. I mean, the ballhawk he was, the game changer he was, you just knew he brought confidence to the defense, like extreme confidence – knowing no matter what's going to happen, we're going to turn the ball over no matter what and I know No. 53 is going to make a play."

But Leonard's more-than-promising career was cut cruelly short due to injury. He last played in 2023; on Sunday, Leonard will retire at halftime of the Colts' Week 5 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

To those that played with him and knew him, though, Leonard's career – which lasted just six seasons – is not some tale of what could've been had his body not broken down.

"It's not really a what-if because he played the game how it's supposed to," Franklin said. "He worked as hard as he possibly could. He gave every single thing that he had to this game. I watched him limp around here with one foot and go take the ball away in eight straight games.

"I don't really know if he even lives in a what-if world — obviously, I would've loved if he could've been there and we could've continued to play together for a number of years. But he's a person that never cheated the game, never cheated the grind. He worked as hard as he could and gave everything he could. I think he took everything form the game that he could."

Fellow Colts linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. – who's back on the Colts' practice squad after starting next to Leonard from 2018-2020 – described Leonard as "one of the best players I've seen in my lifetime."

Running back Jonathan Taylor reflected on Leonard as "one of the best players that I've ever played with."

And Buckner, Leonard's teammate from 2020-2023, said Leonard was a "generational talent."

But Leonard wasn't someone who was content to just make an impact on the field. He dedicated himself to improving the communities he called home, whether that was his hometown of Lakeview, S.C. or his adopted hometown of Indianapolis. Leonard was the Colts' Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee in 2022, and in addition to the work he did through his Maniac Foundation, he was a key voice as part of the Colts' Kicking The Stigma mental health initiative.

Leonard's vulnerability about his own mental health journey has had a massive impact, showing mental health can affect anyone – even a star football player.

"That was his ultimate goal, right, to give back and just be a pillar for the community," Walker said. "He did that in a huge way."

Franklin and Leonard both are members of Omega Psi Phi, a historically Black fraternity, and one of the pillars of Omega Psi Phi is to uplift others. Leonard has gone and beyond to embody that pillar.

"One thing about Shaq that we both realized about each other was, we both truly believe that it's bigger than us," Franklin, the Colts' 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee, said. "When you're from a town of 1,000 people, I think he got one stop sign, man — that's an inspiration to come from Lakeview, South Carolina and to come here and make a name for yourself and change the game. Having an impact on the field was obviously extremely important to him, but we learn to lift as we climb. And as he climbed, he continued to lift up his community in a positive way."

Leonard packed a lot into his six seasons with the Colts – tackles, punch-outs, interceptions, awards, community events, etc. Maybe you'll think about his career as a what-if, seeing as when he retires on Sunday, he'll do so at the age of 30. But those who know Leonard will remember his playing career for the impact he made much more than how long he was on the field.

"I'm just happy for him, bro," Franklin said. "I know he went through a lot of torment the last few years with his body, just trying to get that ready to play. And man, I'm glad he's getting the flowers that he deserves. He's a great player and impacted the city in a positive way."