Shaquille Leonard says the final chapter of his NFL career was written long before he officially retired in 2025.
During a recent appearance on Eric Ebron’s On My Soul podcast, the former Indianapolis Colts linebacker said his relationship with defensive coordinator Gus Bradley fractured so badly that it pushed him out of football at just 30 years old.
Leonard said the emotional fallout from his final two seasons in Indianapolis left him unable to fully invest in the game again.
Leonard explained that the breakdown began after back surgery in 2022, when he returned to a Colts defense that no longer used him the same way. After Bradley arrived in Indianapolis that season, Leonard said he was gradually removed from key situations, including third-down packages, and was limited to part-time snaps on early downs.
According to Leonard, repeated requests to meet with Bradley about his role went nowhere for months.
When the two finally sat down, Leonard said Bradley told him the team wanted “different leadership” moving forward.
Drafted in the second round out of South Carolina State in 2018, Leonard immediately became one of the NFL’s most productive linebackers. He led the league in tackles as a rookie, won Defensive Rookie of the Year, and earned First-Team All-Pro honors in his first season.
Over six years, Leonard collected four All-Pro selections, three Pro Bowl nods, 637 career tackles, 17 forced fumbles, and 12 interceptions. By 2021, he had signed a five-year contract worth more than $99 million and was widely viewed as the centerpiece of Indianapolis’ defense.
Leonard said the relationship with Bradley deteriorated further after he tried to encourage a teammate following a coverage mistake. Rather than confronting the player publicly, Leonard said he pulled him aside, only to later be told that was not the type of leadership Bradley wanted from him.
“I’m not going to yell at nobody,” Leonard said on the podcast. “That’s not me.” He said a heated conversation followed, and afterward he felt labeled inside the building as a problem.
When he later spoke with general manager Chris Ballard, Leonard said he was told some within the organization believed he was disruptive and did not study film enough, accusations he strongly denied.
Even after being waived by Indianapolis in 2023 and signing with the Philadelphia Eagles, he said the experience with the Colts continued to weigh on him. Nick Sirianni later asked Leonard to fully commit to Philadelphia’s playoff run, but Leonard admitted he could not emotionally do it.
Leonard officially retired as a Colt in October 2025. Despite everything, he said he still loves Indianapolis and continues to support the community through events like his annual turkey giveaway.
