Athletes, including the great ones, are notorious for their ability to self-motivate. Consider Tom Brady. Arguably the greatest quarterback all time, Brady should have nothing left to prove to anyone. But this past off-season, when Brady formed a film production company, it needed a name. The choice?
A reference to Brady’s draft spot in the 2000 NFL Draft.
Brady is certainly not alone in this regard. Remember Michael Jordan’s Hall of Fame speech? When he talked about those players who made teams back in high school instead of him? A few months ago the nation was captivated by “The Last Dance,” the documentary look at Jordan’s final season with the Chicago Bulls. It was the documentary that launched a thousand memes, or this video montage of every time that Jordan “took it personally:”
Add to the list Indianapolis Colts’ linebacker Darius Leonard, who has these custom-made cleats ready for training camp:
Darius Leonard’s custom Jordans for camp 👀 pic.twitter.com/HjFtXBbkn5
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) August 1, 2020
The cleats include references to perceived slights by the Colts’ linebacker, from his surprising selection in the 2018 Draft, the fact that he did not make a Pro Bowl last season, and even his Madden rating.
Add this to the fact that Leonard is antsy to just get inside the practice facility, and it seems like the young linebacker – one of the Top linebackers in the game according to Touchdown Wire – is rearing to go in 2020.