Former New York Giants defensive lineman Leonard Marshall wrote a letter to his younger self for The Players Tribune, which was published back in October 2015. In the letter, Leonard calls his younger self, “Lenny”, advising himself to follow the path to success carved out for him, but to be weary of certain behaviors and attitudes that will work against Marshall in a debilitating way.
Leonard believes he was diagnosed with CTE or chronic traumatic encephalopathy due to the damage done to the brain during full contact drills in practices. He regrets not speaking up or toning it down to reduce the long-term injury.