Opponents’ parents tried to ban Leonard Fournette from football at the age of 12
By Kevin Duffey
Published:
Leonard Fournette is now a college football household name.
After his incredible 228-yard, three-touchdown performance against Auburn, Fournette has been mentioned with the all-time greats: Herschel Walker and Adrian Peterson.
The country had been waiting for Fournette to have a signature breakout game, and he certainly delivered what fans wanted to see.
But he’s always been doing that, according to a USA Today article by George Schroeder. It’s an entertaining and informative read on the backstory of Fournette, including when parents tried to ban him from playing at the age of 12.
Why?
It’s mostly because of what he is now — he’s bigger and stronger, and he was running over children.
At 12, his talent was too much. Parents from opposing teams signed a petition to have him banned.
“He was bigger than everyone,” says Corey Scott, Fournette’s uncle. “He basically just destroyed ‘park ball.’ He was running over all the kids.”
The article describes “park ball” as youth football in New Orleans.
Auburn knows exactly what those parents were feeling — can’t this guy just go to the NFL already?
Be sure and check out USA Today’s article on Fournette. It’s well worth your time.
A graduate of the University of Florida and founder of Saturday Down South, Kevin is a college football enthusiast.
