Indianapolis Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard underwent back surgery in June but was expected to be ready for the start of the season. However, the star Colts defensive leader will have to wait to make his 2022 debut.
NFL reporter Dov Kleiman reports that Leonard will miss regular season games while recovering from the surgery. Kleiman notes that the Colts linebacker is expected to return at some point in 2022.
Colts head coach Frank Reich mentioned last week that Leonard's return to the field was not imminent. All told, however, the star linebacker was reportedly doing well.
“No, I mean he is doing great. He has really been into it out on the field, staying locked into what we are doing schematically. Really staying in tune with the team and the guys and everything, and I know he is continuing good rehab – having progress but we are still not in that mode. I don’t think it is imminent, but I think he is making progress,” Reich said.
Leonard recently told the media he wanted to go by his middle name rather than his first name, Darius. He opened up about his reasoning behind the name change a couple of weeks ago.
“I went by Shaquille my whole life,” Leonard said. “My mom called me Shaquille, my family called me Shaquille, my friends and family called me Shaquille. I only went by Darius in school or if I was in trouble. Once I got to the NFL, that's when people started calling me Darius. I hate it, but coming in as a rookie, I figured they didn't want a rookie coming in saying to call him a different name. So, I just went with it.”
Hopefully, Leonard's time away this season will be brief, and he will make a complete recovery soon.
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