AC Leonard (born January 15, 1992) is an American professional

gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

who is a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. He most recently played for the

Edmonton Elks The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ...

(CFL). He played

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense (sports), offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide ...

for the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first season ...

in 2015 before converting to a

in 2016. He attended

Tennessee State University Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tenness ...

, where he played college football for the

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

and studied criminal justice. Leonard has been member of

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the maj ...

AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...

FXFL The Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL) was a professional football minor league that played two seasons in 2014 and 2015. This league's stated goal was to become a professional feeder-system for the National Football League (NFL). The lea ...

and

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ...

Early career

Leonard played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, partl ...

Jean Ribault Jean Ribault (also spelled ''Ribaut'') (1520 – October 12, 1565) was a French naval officer, navigator, and a colonizer of what would become the southeastern United States. He was a major figure in the French attempts to colonize Florida. A H ...

before transferring to Interlachen and then to

University Christian School University Christian School is a private Christian school in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. It is part of the ministry of the University Church, a local Baptist congregation. It serves students from pre-kindergarten through graduation. The school ...

in 2010. At University Christian, he played primarily as a

, but also as a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pl ...

and

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is p ...

. He played college football for the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as th ...

in 2011, and recorded eight receptions for 99 yards over nine games. A knee injury caused him to miss three games in his freshman season. Leonard transferred to Tennessee State to play for the Tigers the following season, where he played for two years. He recorded 1,174 yards for 11 touchdowns on 85 receptions with the Tigers. Also played at Palatka High School his Freshman year.

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Leonard was eligible for the

2014 NFL draft The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...

, and ran the fastest

40-yard dash The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...

among tight ends at the

NFL scouting combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footba ...

that year. He was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansio ...

. He participated in training camp, where he missed multiple practices due to an injury or illness initially described as a headache. He was later released on August 6, 2014.

Fall Experimental League & Arena Football

Later that year, Leonard played for the

Brooklyn Bolts The Brooklyn Bolts were a professional American football team based in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. They were a charter member of the Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL), which was trying to become the developmental league for the Natio ...

of the

Fall Experimental Football League The Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL) was a professional football minor league that played two seasons in 2014 and 2015. This league's stated goal was to become a professional feeder-system for the National Football League (NFL). The lea ...

in its inaugural season. He was assigned to the

New Orleans VooDoo Louisiana Voodoo (french: Vaudou louisianais, es, Vudú de Luisiana), also known as New Orleans Voodoo, is an African diasporic religion which originated in Louisiana, now in the southern United States. It arose through a process of syncretism ...

of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

on December 5, 2014. He was placed on the Other League Exempt list on February 23, 2015.

BC Lions

In April 2015, Leonard signed with the

. Leonard made his CFL debut on July 17, 2015, against the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded i ...

, where he recorded four receptions for 26 yards and two touchdowns.

Fall Experimental League & Arena Football (II)

He spent some time with the

Hudson Valley Fort The Hudson Valley Fort was a team in the Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL). The team played the 2015 season at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, New York. History After the 2014 season, the FXFL announced that three of its four teams woul ...

(

) in 2015. On October 16, 2015, Leonard was assigned to the

Jacksonville Sharks The Jacksonville Sharks are a professional Indoor American football, indoor football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, playing their home games at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Beginning in 2017, the Sharks began play as charter members o ...

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Leonard signed with the

of the CFL in May 2016. In two seasons with the Riders Leonard played in 33 games and played a significant role in the team's defense, totaling 66 tackles and 10 quarterback sacks. Following the 2017 season he was not re-signed and became a free agent on February 13, 2018.

Ottawa Redblacks

On February 13, 2018, Leonard was signed to a one-year contract with the

Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) (French: Le Rouge et Noir d'Ottawa) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Starting ...

. In one season with the Redblacks Leonard played in 17 games contributing 49 tackles and six quarterback sacks. He was not re-signed by the Redblacks following the season and became a free agent.

Saskatchewan Roughriders (II)

On February 14, 2019, Leonard signed with the

. Leonard was placed on the six-game injured list on August 8, 2019, with an unspecified injury during practice. Leonard played three seasons for the Riders appearing in 41 regular season games and contributing with 118 defensive tackles, 23 sacks, five forced fumbles and one interception. He was released by the Riders on January 31, 2023; one day before he was due to receive a $40,000 roster bonus on February 1.

Edmonton Elks

On the same day he was released by the Roughriders, Leonard signed a contract with the

of the

(CFL). The move reunited him with head coach and general manager

Chris Jones Christopher or Chris Jones may refer to: Arts, entertainment and culture *Christopher Jones (actor) (1941–2014), American actor *Christopher Jones (comics) (born 1969), American comic book artist *Chris Jones (drama critic) (born 1963), America ...

who successfully converted him to a defensive lineman in 2016. He played in all 18 regular season games where he recorded 45 defensive tackles, 12 sacks, and two forced fumbles. He became a

upon the expiry of his contract on February 13, 2024.

Domestic battery arrest

On February 15, 2012, Leonard was arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

after an alleged altercation with a woman he had been dating for 17 months. The woman told police that she had been shoved and dragged from an apartment by her hair. As a result of the arrest, Leonard was suspended from the Florida Gators. He pleaded

no contest ' is a legal term that comes from the Latin phrase for "I do not wish to contend". It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. In criminal trials in certain United States jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neithe ...

to the charge in April, and received a six-month probation. Although Leonard's suspension was lifted in late March, Gators head coach

Will Muschamp William Lawrence Muschamp (born August 3, 1971) is an American football coach and former player. He is the co- defensive coordinator and safeties coach at the University of Georgia. He served as head football coach at the University of Florida f ...

stated that he would serve a suspension during the 2012 season. Leonard and Muschamp later decided it would be best if the player transferred. Leonard transferred to Tennessee State prior to the start of the football season that year.

References

External links

Edmonton Elks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonard, A.C. 1992 births Living people Florida Gators football players Tennessee State Tigers football players Minnesota Vikings players Brooklyn Bolts players New Orleans VooDoo players BC Lions players Ottawa Redblacks players American football tight ends Canadian football wide receivers Hudson Valley Fort players Jacksonville Sharks players Saskatchewan Roughriders players Players of American football from Florida People from Palatka, Florida Canadian football defensive linemen 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportspeople