- Star NFL linebacker Shaquille Leonard lost his job with the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday.
- Hours later, the 4-time All-Pro player showed up to a food drive to pass out Thanksgiving turkeys.
Shaquille Leonard is dedicated to "giving back" — through "good times" and "tough times" alike.
And the superstar NFL linebacker put his unique commitment to altruism on full display this week.
Leonard learned during his day off on Tuesday that he'd lost his job with the Indianapolis Colts — the franchise he'd played for since he was selected in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. The move to axe the four-time All-Pro player and three-time Pro Bowler shocked many in NFL circles, but no one more than Leonard himself.
"I did not think I was going to get the boot and get fired on my day off," Leonard said, per the Indianapolis Star.
"It's been very tough, mentally, physically and emotionally," he added. "But life goes on."
Life goes on, indeed, though no one would've blamed Leonard — who was named a captain of his former team for the fifth consecutive year before the season began — if he took a day to himself to process the surprise decision.
Instead, just a few hours after the Colts waived him, Leonard arrived at a nearby Thanksgiving food drive to hand out turkeys to some 200 families in the Indianapolis community.
#Colts LB Shaq Leonard joked that he felt like Craig from the movie “Friday” since he got cut on his day off, but he still showed up to pass out turkeys to the Indy community for Thanksgiving.
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) November 21, 2023
“I’m all about giving back. Through tough times, good times, no matter what it is.” pic.twitter.com/EGm72Y0J7n
Leonard described feeling "heartbroken" in the immediate aftermath of Tuesday's meeting with Colts General Manager Chris Ballard, he told FOX59 later that day. But then he "realized I still had the turkey drive" and found himself uplifted by interactions with the fans he'd come to know and love over his six seasons in Indy.
"Just seeing the fans, for one, on social media, just giving love, and now when I came out here, just seeing the smiles on their faces — that brings joy to me," Leonard told the outlet. "It goes to show that it doesn't matter what other people think about me."
"The people of Indianapolis, they love me for who I am, they love me for what I do on the field, and they love me for what I do in the community," he added. "It's a blessing."
The 2018 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year — who led the entire league in tackles that same season and in forced fumbles in 2021 — is widely expected to find a home with a new NFL team in short order. Two NFC East teams — the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles — have expressed interest in Leonard, per NFL insider Adam Schefter.