St. Louis Rams

On April 28, 2007, Leonard was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the second round with the 52nd overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft

2007 NFL Draft

The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...

. Leonard signed a four-year, $2.8 million contract on July 24, 2007, that includes $1.55 million in guaranteed money. Coach Scott Linehan

Scott Linehan

Scott Thomas Linehan is an American football coach, currently the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions of the NFL. He was previously the head coach of the St...

 decided to use Leonard as a fullback, running back, and a special third-down back, in relief of Steven Jackson

Steven Jackson

Steven Rashad Jackson is an American football running back for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Rams 24th overall in the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon State University....

. Linehan also stated that Leonard would see 15-20 snaps per game. In rookie training camps, Leonard was one of only two running backs, the other being Brad Lau. “We only have two backs right now so I am running in single back and halfback so I will be the running back unless we get another running back in here,” Leonard said. “It’s nice to get the reps, but it is tiring.” Leonard ran for the Rams first touchdown of the year against the Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...

 in preseason on August 10, 2007.
He had his first 100-yard rushing game, typically a milestone amongst running backs, on October 7, 2007 at home against the Arizona Cardinals.

Leonard underwent surgery

Surgery

Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...

 on both his shoulders

Shoulders

Shoulders is drinking game that involves players competing in a fast paced game attempting to "count" to 21.-Game play:*The game begins with a player slapping his left/right shoulder, this starts the count at 1....

 after the season.

Cincinnati Bengals

Leonard was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...

 on May 7, 2009 for defensive tackle Orien Harris

Orien Harris

Orien J. Harris is an American football defensive tackle for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami.Harris has also been a member of the...

. His struggle for a roster spot was chronicled in the HBO series Hard Knocks

Hard Knocks (TV series)

Hard Knocks is a reality sports documentary television series produced by NFL Films and HBO. The series follows a select National Football League team through its training camp and provides an in-depth perspective of the team's preparation for the upcoming season. The series is described as one of...

 with several parts focused on the battle between Leonard and DeDe Dorsey

DeDe Dorsey

DeDe Dorsey is an American football running back for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2006...

 for the final running back spot.

Over the course of 2009 season

2009 Cincinnati Bengals season

The 2009 Cincinnati Bengals season was the 40th season for the team in the National Football League and their 42nd overall. They finished the season at 10–6–0, and sweeping the entire AFC North division, they improved on their 2008 record of 4–11–1, winning the AFC North Division and making the...

, Leonard didn't seen much rushing action because the team was using Cedric Benson

Cedric Benson

Cedric Myron Benson is an American football running back for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears fourth overall in the 2005 NFL Draft...

 as their primary running back and also signed Larry Johnson, limiting the number of Leonard's rushing attempts. However, he has often been targeted on third- and fourth down passing plays and has made several key conversions for the Bengals. For example, on September 27 in a game against the defending Super Bowl Champions Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...

, Leonard caught a pass from Carson Palmer

Carson Palmer

Carson Palmer is an American professional football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals first overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at the University of Southern California and won the Heisman Trophy in 2002...

 on 4th down, converting for the first down with 31 seconds left, extending the eventual winning drive. On December 27, he recorded an eight yard reception in a 3rd-and-7 situation to keep what would eventually be the game winning drive against the Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...

 alive.

Personal life

Leonard has been active in the community, especially doing considerable work with children. In 2006, Peter King

Peter King (sportswriter)

Peter King is an American sportswriter. He currently writes for Sports Illustrated and its Web site, including the weekly multiple-page column Monday Morning Quarterback. He is the author of five books, most notably Inside the Helmet, as well as a TV analyst and reporter...

 wrote an article in Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

selecting Leonard as his personal candidate for Sportsman of the Year

Sportsman of the Year

Since its inception in 1954, Sports Illustrated magazine has annually presented the "Sportsman of the Year" award to "the athlete or team whose performance that year most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement." Both Americans and non-Americans are eligible, though in the past the...

, due to Leonard's on- and off-field accomplishments.

In an interview, Brian Leonard claimed that his favorite St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

 player is Albert Pujols

Albert Pujols

José Alberto Pujols Alcántara , better known as Albert Pujols , is a Dominican-American professional baseball player, who is currently a free agent...

, but that being from New York, he still remains primarily a Yankees'

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

fan.

External links