Leonard Fournette writes heartfelt farewell to Jacksonville teammates, community
By Keith Farner
Published:
On the day his NFL career hit a crossroads, former LSU star Leonard Fournette has penned a heartfelt note to the Jacksonville community and his teammates after he was released by the Jaguars.
“We have had some ups and downs, but y’all have had my back through it all,” he wrote. “You have my deepest respect and admiration.”
He thanked the Jacksonville organization for helping him reach a lifelong dream of playing in the NFL.
“To all my brothers in the locker room from 2017 until today, y’all are family for life,” he wrote.
For 3 years at LSU, Fournette was arguably the top player in the country. He rushed for 3,830 yards and 40 touchdowns from 2014-16. His best season came in 2015 when he rushed for 1,953 yards and 22 touchdowns.
The New Orleans’ native was the No. 1 ranked recruit in the 2014 recruiting class.
The Florida Times-Union reported how coach Doug Marrone explained the decision.
“It strictly has to do on the field,” Marrone said. “At the end of the day, we feel like the skill sets of the guys we have and really that led to the decision. It’s something we’ve done with every position that we’ve been looking at. We’ve done cut-ups, tapes, we’ve gone back and looked at everything that we’ve tried to get done. It’s not just the running back position. It’s all positions.”
Fournette collected 1,600 yards from scrimmage in 15 games in 2019, with 265 carries for 1,152 yards and he caught 76 passes for 522 yards, but scored a career-low 3 rushing touchdowns.
Thank you, Jacksonville 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/LcckBRao4k
— 7⃣ Leonard Fournette (@_fournette) August 31, 2020
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
