At first, Leonard Williams was told he couldn’t play. Not because he was too slow or too short or lacked skill. He was just too big.
As a 200-pound 13-year-old, Williams was 20 pounds over the Pop Warner weight limit and turned away, prompting the large teenager to shed tears. Seven years later, and 100 pounds heavier, Williams still remembers the pang of rejection from that day but knows it all worked out for the best. And the size eventually started working to his advantage.
“I was really sad because they sent me home and I couldn’t play anymore,” he said.