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

gridiron football Gridiron football ( ),"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' ...

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 (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...

. He played

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

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 (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

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 Tennes ...

, where he played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is tradition ...

and studied criminal justice. Leonard has been member of

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

AFL AFL may refer to: Education * Angel Foundation for Learning, a Canadian Roman Catholic charity * Ankara Science High School, a high school in Ankara, Turkey, natively referred to as ''Ankara Fen Liesi'' * Assessment for learning Military * ...

, FXFL and CFL.

Early life and college

Leonard played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

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 ...

before transferring to Interlachen and then to University Christian 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 typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

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 formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

. He played college football for the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...

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 Foot ...

that year. He was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

by the

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

. 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 football (gridiron), professional American football team based in Brooklyn, New York City, New York (state), New York. They were a charter member of the Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL), which was t ...

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 le ...

in its inaugural season. He was assigned to the

New Orleans VooDoo The New Orleans VooDoo were a professional arena football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They were members of the Arena Football League from 2004 to 2015. The VooDoo were the second team to play in the Arena Football League and play in ...

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 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...

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 in 19 ...

, 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 wo ...

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

Jacksonville Sharks The Jacksonville Sharks are a professional indoor football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, that competes in the Indoor Football League (IFL). The team plays its home games at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. They were members of the Are ...

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) (Canadian French, French: ) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL ...

. 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

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 (CFL), West Division and plays their home games at Commonw ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

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

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

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 or batterie 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 * Battery indicator, a device whic ...

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 ''Nolo contendere'' () is a type of legal plea used in some jurisdictions in the United States. It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. It is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an ...

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 who is a defensive analyst at the University of Georgia. He previously served as the Bulldogs' co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach from 2022 ...

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 Sportspeople from Palatka, Florida Canadian football defensive linemen 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen