The end of the Indianapolis Colts' 2021 season was painful for the franchise. They lost out on the chance to make the playoffs at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The loss was particularly hurtful for Darius Leonard.
Leonard, on top of dealing with COVID-19 and an ankle injury, felt completely defeated after the Colts' loss to the Jaguars. He told Mike Wells of ESPN that he fell out of love with football and added that he wasn't ready to face anyone after the humiliating loss.
“The first month, I didn’t wanna go home, didn’t wanna be around anybody, didn’t wanna face it yet,” Leonard said. “Because the question was gonna come: What the hell happened in Jacksonville? And in that moment, I really didn’t know what happened.”
Leonard explained that he wanted to feel like he had more people care about him and see him as more than a football player. After months to process the Colts' frustrating season, his mental state is in a better place thanks to the support he got from Colts teammates Zaire Franklin and Bobby Okereke.
This offseason, things are starting to look up for Leonard and the Colts. His ankle is doing much better and the Colts are looking like an improved team after trading for Matt Ryan. The veteran quarterback should be an upgrade on the field and is already an upgrade off of it over his predecessor, Carson Wentz. Leonard will also be playing with new star teammates: Stephon Gilmore and Yannick Ngakoue.
The Colts should still be a good team next season, but getting back to the playoffs is the goal on everyone's mind.
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