According to a new report, former Texas A&M safety Leon O’Neal has been suspended indefinitely by the Indoor Football League following an incident on July 2 when the former Aggie entered the stands to confront a fan.
In details shared through The Eagle, cameras caught O’Neal making his way to the stands and then hurdling the field barrier to confront a fan not far from the front. O’Neal would go on to return to the field, but several other players joined the altercation, which included punches being thrown.
O’Neal currently plays for the Massachusetts Pirates, who were on the road to face the Arizona Rattlers at the time and date of the incident.
Four players, including O’Neal, were ejected from the game and were suspended the next day by IFL commissioner Todd Tryon, who issued a statement in the aftermath:
“Under zero circumstance can you ever go beyond the wall and into the stands. This is a one-time incident that does not reflect what the IFL stands for. We are a family-friendly league that offers great sports entertainment, and we will continue to build on that moving forward. What was a very exciting game was marred by the actions of a few. These actions will never be tolerated and are being fully dealt with.”
O’Neal claimed on Twitter Wednesday that he was called a racial slur after he took a helmet-to-helmet hit on the field. He issued another tweet that he was retiring from football, however, both tweets have since been deleted.
O’Neal played 40 games across three seasons with Texas A&M, recording 161 tackles with 10 for loss along with six interceptions. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers after going drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft but was waved after suffering an injury in training camp.
In February, he signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League but was later released on June 4. O’Neal signed with the Pirates shortly after on June 8.
As of Wednesday afternoon, O’Neal is still listed on the Pirates’ active roster and is only listed as suspended per the league’s transaction wire.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Pete on Twitter: @PeteThreee.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=5]
