Leonard Little
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Leonard Antonio Little (born October 19, 1974) is an American former professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player who was a
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 ...
for the
St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...
of the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, 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 ...
(NFL). Little 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
Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Colleg ...
, and was recognized as an
All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
. He was selected by the Rams in the third round of the
1998 NFL draft The 1998 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18–19, 1998, at the Theater at M ...
, and played his entire twelve-year professional career with them. Little killed a woman in a
drunk driving Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is in ...
incident in 1998, and later pleaded guilty to
involuntary manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...
.


Early life

Little attended Asheville High School in
Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad River, French Broad and Swannanoa River, Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populou ...
, where he played both
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
wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
. At AHS, he was a three-year starter. For his senior year, Little was named a ''Super Prep'', ''Blue Chip'', ''Prep Football Report'' as well as a First-team
All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
. In November 2005, his high school retired his #30 jersey.


College career

Little played a single season at
Coffeyville Community College Coffeyville Community College (CCC) is a Public college, public community college located in Coffeyville, Kansas. It was founded in 1923. The official school colors are red and white. The mascot is the Red Raven. Their athletic teams are known ...
in
Coffeyville, Kansas Coffeyville is a city in southeastern Montgomery County, Kansas, United States, located along the Verdigris River in the state's southeastern region. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,826. Coffeyville is the most pop ...
, before going to play three seasons at
University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...
, where he started every game at Middle Linebacker during his senior season, leading the team in tackles (87) and sacks (8.5). He was first-team
All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
and first-team
All-Southeastern Conference The All-SEC football team is an annual Southeastern Conference (SEC) honor bestowed on the best players in the conference following every college football season. Seasons

Following is a list of all-conference teams in the history of the SEC: ...
in his senior season. He appeared in the first seven games of his junior season at
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 ...
, tallying 33 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and five tackles for losses, also blocking one field goal and forcing four fumbles. As a sophomore, he started every game at left defensive end and recorded 62 tackles and a career-high eleven sacks. Little’s 28 career sacks rank 3rd all time at Tennessee, behind only
Derek Barnett Derek Anthony Barnett (born June 25, 1996) is an American professional football defensive end for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers, and was selected by the Philade ...
(33) and
Reggie White Reginald Howard White (December 19, 1961 – December 26, 2004) was an American professional football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. White played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers, ear ...
(32). Little graduated from Tennessee with a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
in
psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
.


Professional career


Pre-draft

Little measured 6-3½, 237 pounds and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds. Little was expected to be a first-round draft choice, but his "in-between" size left teams not sure if he would be a linebacker or a defensive end in the NFL.


St. Louis Rams

The
St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...
picked Leonard Little as the fourth pick in the third round of the
1998 NFL draft The 1998 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18–19, 1998, at the Theater at M ...
, the 65th overall pick. The Rams made a last moment trade to the 65th pick on concerns that the Steelers would take Little with the 66th pick. When Rams coach
Dick Vermeil Richard Albert Vermeil ( ; born October 30, 1936) is an American former football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. He was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles for seven seasons, the St. L ...
called, Little was being congratulated by
Bill Cowher William Laird Cowher (; born May 8, 1957) is an American sports analyst, former professional football player and coach. Following a six-year playing career as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL), he served as a head coach in the ...
, the Pittsburgh coach, on being drafted by the Steelers. He signed a 3-year, $1.2 million contract on July 2, 1998, with a $400,000 signing bonus. Little began his NFL career as a linebacker, donning uniform number 57. As a gunner on kickoff and punt coverage Little made eight tackles. He was inactive for four games before being placed on the non-football injury list due to legal issues surrounding his
drunk driving Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is in ...
crash. The NFL suspended Little for 8 games of the 1999 season. The suspension cost Little $125,000, half his seasonal salary. He returned to the Rams at mid-season and performed mostly on special teams with a season-high four special teams tackles vs. the New York Giants on December 19, 1999, ending the season with nine special teams tackles. He also would spell Rams defensive ends
Kevin Carter Kevin Carter (13 September 1960 – 27 July 1994) was a South African photojournalism, photojournalist and member of the Bang-Bang Club. He was the recipient in 1994 of a Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography, Pulitzer Prize for the vulture a ...
and
Grant Wistrom Grant Alden Wistrom (born July 3, 1976) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. Wistrom played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and was a t ...
and was in the game for Wistrom for the play known as "The Tackle" in
Super Bowl XXXIV Super Bowl XXXIV was an American football game played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 30, 2000, to determine the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1999 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion ...
. In 2000, he played at the defensive end position, coming into games to play left defensive end in passing situations, with starting end
Kevin Carter Kevin Carter (13 September 1960 – 27 July 1994) was a South African photojournalism, photojournalist and member of the Bang-Bang Club. He was the recipient in 1994 of a Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography, Pulitzer Prize for the vulture a ...
"reducing" down to left defensive tackle. He also spelled right defensive end Grant Wistrom. Little added 20 pounds with weight training and extra eating to help him make the switch and in that role Little had 5 sacks and totaled 17 tackles. He also had 18 tackles on special teams in 2000. On April 24, 2001, Leonard Little agreed to a one-year tender offer of $512,000, the minimum level for a restricted free agent. That season, he changed his jersey number to 91 and was a pass-rush specialist for the NFC champion Rams. Little would enter games in passing situations in place of starting left defensive end
Chidi Ahanotu Chidi Obioma Ahanotu (born October 11, 1970) is an American former professional football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at California and was selected in the 1993 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Bucca ...
. In that role, Little led the Rams with 14.5 sacks, 3rd in the NFL. Little had nine tackles (five solo), three QB pressures, and one sack in
Super Bowl XXXVI Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
. On the first play of the New England Patriot game-winning drive Little brushed the ball but could not dislodge it from
Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons. He spent his first 20 seasons with the New Engla ...
, who kept the drive alive by completing a short pass.SI Vault.com
September 1, 2003. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
Little also continued his role as a special teamer, making 11 tackles. On March 4, 2002, Little signed a five-year $17.5 million contract. That year Little earned the starting left defensive end job and performed very well, despite the fact he was considered small for a "base" defensive end in the NFL. He played the run well and upgraded his play against the pass as well. Rams defensive line coach
Bill Kollar William Wallace Kollar (born November 27, 1952) is an American football coach and former player. Kollar played as a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1974 to 1976, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ...
said, "He's become an every-down player, he's doing a good job in the running game, and his pass rush is better. He recorded 12 sacks (6th most in the NFL) and a franchise-record nine forced fumbles for the season (surpassing
Deacon Jones David D. "Deacon" Jones (December 9, 1938 – June 3, 2013) was an American professional football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played for the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, and Washin ...
's six in 1968). Little's ability to strip quarterbacks of the ball was noted by
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
's Paul Zimmerman who picked Little as the "best in the business to go for the strip". He played notably in the season finale against the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
by recording nine tackles (five solo), one QB pressure, a season-high 2 sacks, and a career-high three forced fumbles. The following year, he was named an
All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...
and Pro Bowl selection; he had 12.5 sacks, third in the NFC (fourth in the NFL), six forced fumbles and an interception. Against 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 ...
on November 30, 2003, Little had eight tackles (six solo), a career-best four sacks, three QB pressures, and two forced fumbles. Vikings offensive coordinator
Scott Linehan Scott Thomas Linehan (born September 17, 1963) is an American football coach who serves as a senior offensive assistant for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He recently was an offensive analyst at Montana. He was the ...
said that Little "wrecked the game plan, just wrecked it." In addition to the four sacks, Viking offensive right tackles were called for four penalties attempting to block Little. For his efforts Little was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week. In 2004, Little started all 16 games and recorded just 7 sacks, however, the down year was attributable to being double-teamed or "chip-blocked" on the majority of passing downs. "They never leave him alone," Rams coach
Mike Martz Michael Martz (born May 13, 1951) is an American American football, football coach. Best known for his coaching tenure with the History of the St. Louis Rams, St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL), he served as the offensive coor ...
said. "Very seldom is he single blocked nd if he is, it's a quick throw. Opponents have great respect for him". Little added, "It's been the first year where they're just constantly chipping me . . . Last year, they'd do it off and on, but not as often as now.". Despite the fewer sacks Little was voted as an alternate to the Pro Bowl. Little also scored his first two NFL touchdowns in 2004, he picked up four fumbles and returned two of them for scores. On September 11, 2005, against the 49ers he had nine tackles (four solo), 2.0 sacks, and two forced fumbles. He continued his fast start, with four sacks in the first six games NFL.com
Retrieved October 9, 2010.
but slumped after the death of his brother, Jermaine, who was murdered in Harriman, Tennessee, on October 18, 2005. ". . .Leonard's struggling," interim coach
Joe Vitt Joe Vitt (born August 23, 1954) is an American professional football coach and who is the senior defensive assistant for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the assistant head coach and linebackers coach o ...
said. "He's grieving right now, and our football team—everybody here, is lending our support to him.". Little missed two games and did not record a sack in the next five games. He ended with 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles over the final three games and to lead the Rams with 9.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in 2005. In Week 11 of the 2006 season, Little signed a 3-year $19.5 million contract extension that included a $6.1 million signing bonus. Little started all 16 games and led the team with 13.0 sacks (tied for second in the NFC, tied for fifth in the NFL), seven forced fumbles and also recorded a career-high of 58 tackles and was again a Pro Bowl alternate.NFL.com
Retrieved October 9, 2010.
Little sprained his big toe when his left foot was caught in the turf in a 22-3 loss at Baltimore on October 14, 2007. On November 5, 2007, Little was placed on injured reserve, ending his season with only one sack, and had surgery that week to repair the torn ligament in his left big toe. Little agreed to restructure his contract to remain with the Rams. He was due a $7.17 million roster bonus that would have counted as $9.5 million against the Rams' 2008 salary cap. The restructuring converted the roster bonus to a signing bonus, which meant it would be spread over the last two years of the contract, essentially cutting the cap number by nearly $3.6 million and resulting in a $5.9 million cap number for Little in 2008. In 2008, Little was again slowed by injuries, this time a hamstring injury in the season opener, played in 14 games, starting just five. Often, he was used in passing situations similar to his role in 2001. He was second on the Rams in sacks with six and he also forced two fumbles, giving him a career total of 32. Little had two sacks against Buffalo on September 28, 2008. For the 2009 season, Little totaled 6½ sacks to lead the team for the sixth time in his career. He started 13 games at left defensive end and was relatively healthy—compared to the previous two seasons. However, he did miss two games with a knee injury. NFL.com's Greg Cosell described one of Little's plays versus the
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
as, "Little 36-yard interception return TD was an unbelievable read by Little. He read the flare action by Jones-Drew and the throw by Garrard—a spectacular individual play". During the 2009 season, Little has dropped hints that he may retire after the season. In the off-season Little, an unrestricted free agent, accepted and then canceled a meeting with the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
to discuss the possibility of signing with the defending Super Bowl champions. Little earned $31.55 million in his twelve NFL seasons. and led his team in sacks six times (2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008) and had four seasons of twelve or more sacks. Little retired on December 15, 2010.


NFL statistics

Key * GP: games played * COMB: combined tackles * TOTAL: total tackles * AST: assisted tackles * SACK: sacks * FF: forced fumbles * FR: fumble recoveries


Off-field issues


Manslaughter conviction

On October 19, 1998, Little was on his way home from a birthday party when he crashed into and killed 47-year-old Susan Gutweiler in
St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
, Missouri who was on her way to pick up her son from a concert. When tested, his
blood alcohol content Blood alcohol content (BAC), also called blood alcohol concentration or blood alcohol level, is a measurement of alcohol intoxication used for legal or medical purposes. BAC is expressed as mass of alcohol per volume of blood. In US and many i ...
was 0.19 percent, 0.11 points exceeding the legal limit of 0.08 in the state of Missouri. Little pleaded guilty to
involuntary manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...
and received a 90-day sentence of work in a city workhouse, four years
probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offence (law), offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incar ...
and was ordered to undergo a thousand hours of
community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community contributing to a noble cause. In many cases, people doing community service are compensated in other ways, such as gettin ...
. On January 18, 2003, with charges dating back to 1999, Little was charged with communicating threats and making harassing calls, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department. Little's attorney, Scott Rosenblum, said that the charges were filed after Little and his former girlfriend Michelle ended their relationship. Rosenblum added, "We don't think this case is going anywhere. It was groundless from the beginning". On April 24, 2004, he was arrested again for
driving while intoxicated Driving under the influence (DUI) is the crime of driving, operating, or being in control of a vehicle while one is impaired from doing so safely by the effect of either alcohol (see drunk driving) or some other drug, whether recreational or ...
after being stopped by The Ladue Police Department for driving 78 miles per hour in a 55 mile-per-hour zone on
Interstate 64 Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 70, I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and U.S. Route 61, US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern ter ...
. At the time, he had red eyes, smelled of alcohol, and failed three roadside sobriety tests. He later admitted that he drank alcohol to the police. After being convicted of misdemeanor speeding but acquitted of DWI, Little received two years of probation on May 6, 2005, and was prohibited from drinking any sort of alcoholic beverage during his time of probation.


References


External links


Tennessee Volunteers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Little, Leonard 1974 births Living people American football defensive ends American people convicted of manslaughter Coffeyville Red Ravens football players National Conference Pro Bowl players Players of American football from Asheville, North Carolina St. Louis Rams players Tennessee Volunteers football players American sportspeople convicted of crimes 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen