Leonard Fournette is an American football running back for the National Football League’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL). He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars as the fourth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Leonard signed a one-year contract with the Buccaneers in 2020 and helped the team win Super Bowl LV over the Kansas City Chiefs.
He was the team’s primary starter for the majority of the 2021 season.
However, a late-season injury kept him out of the final three regular-season games and a portion of the playoffs.
Leonard extended his stay with Tampa for three years on March 23, 2022.
Want to know more about Fournette?
Please read till the end of the article to learn more about Leonard’s professional career, early life, net worth, and so much more.
But first, please go through some quick facts about Leonard!
Leonard Fournette | Quick Facts
Full Name | Leonard Joseph Fournette III |
Date of Birth | January 18, 1995 |
Birth Place | New Orleans, Louisiana |
Nick Name | Button |
Religion | Christianity |
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | Multiracial |
Zodiac Sign | Capricorn |
Age | 29 Years Old |
Height | 6 feet/1.82 m/182 cm |
Weight | 103 kg/227 lbs. |
Hair Color | Black |
Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Build | Athletic, Muscular |
Father’s Name | Leonard Jr. Fournette |
Mother’s Name | Lory Fournette |
Siblings | Lanard Fournette, LaNata Fournette and LaTae Fournette |
High School | St. Augustine High School |
College | Louisiana State University |
Marital Status | Unmarried |
Ex- Girlfriend | Jamie Jones |
Profession | NFL player |
Position | Running Back |
Team | Arizona Cardinals |
Active Years | 2017-Present |
NFL Draft | Round: 3, Pick: 105, 2017 |
Salary | $2 Million |
Net Worth | $10 Million |
Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
Merch | Signed Tampa Bay Red Jersey, Signed Football, Signed Helmet, Signed Photograph |
Last Update | October 2024 |
Leonard Fournette | Early Life & Family
Leonard Fournette was born on January 18, 1995, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Precisely, his parents Leonard Jr. and Lory raised him in New Orleans’s 7th Ward.
It was a troubled neighborhood plagued by violence and gang activity, particularly after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Leonard grew up with three siblings: Lanard Fournette, his younger brother, and sisters LaNata Fournette and LaTae Fournette.
Leonard Fournette’s brother was arrested!
Lanard Fournette, the younger brother of running back Leonard Fournette, was arrested and charged with illegal gambling in May 2017.
Lanard, 20, allegedly used someone else’s ID to gamble at L’Auberge Casino in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Leonard’s brother is said to have left the casino after being questioned by security.
However, he was later booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison and charged with gambling with a fake ID.
He was released on a bond of $1,000 bond.
Leonard Fournette | Banned From the Playground
By the time he was 13, Fournette’s reputation had spread throughout the city. He was attracting high school crowds to park ball games. Leonard was much bigger, stronger, and faster than his peers.
At 13, Fournette weighed about 170 lbs. and stood about 172 m tall. The weight limit for skill position players in park ball was 155 lbs.
In his final season, Fournette was limited to playing on the defensive and offensive lines. That only lasted a few games.
The OTHER CHILDREN’S PARENTS wrote a letter requesting that Leonard be barred from the playground. Eventually, all the other playgrounds united and barred him from the league.
Leonard was far too large to play running back. He served on both the offensive and defensive lines. Nobody could stop him or keep him in check.
Leonard Fournette | Career
High School
Fournette attended St. Augustine High School, where he excelled in football.
In his freshman season, the player rushed for over 2,500 yards and 30 touchdowns, becoming the first freshman to receive a scholarship offer from Louisiana State.
Similarly, Leonard finished his sophomore season with 1,900 yards rushing and 27 touchdowns.
As a junior, he had 2,135 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns and was named to the LFCA Class 4A First-Team All-State team.
Leonard was widely regarded as the best running back prospect in his class and was one of the most highly recruited players to come out of Louisiana.
The player announced his decision to attend Louisiana State University at THE 2014 Under Armour All-America Game (LSU)
College Career
After having an outstanding career at St. Augustine High School, Fournette had near-unprecedented hype heading into college in 2014.
He was named the USA Today High School Football Offensive Player of the Year 2013 and the top-ranked recruit in the 2014 senior class by 247Sports.com, ESPN, and CBS Sports.
Following his sophomore season at LSU in 2015, he was a consensus All-America selection.
The player set a school single-season record with 1,953 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns.
Professional Career
The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Leonard Fournette fourth overall in 2017. He became the NFL’s youngest player with a rushing touchdown of at least 90 yards.
Fournette also established the Jaguars’ records for the longest rushing play and was the first player to rush for 100 yards in his NFL debut.
He was the first player to score a scrimmage touchdown in each of his first six career games.
He signed a four-year, $27 million contract with the Jaguars in 2017, with an $18 million signing bonus.
Furthermore, Leonard signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 6, 2020.
The running back extended his stay with the team with a three-year $21 million contract on march 20, 2022.
Leonard Fournette | Injuries & Setbacks
Fournette suffered a high ankle sprain during a scrimmage game prior to the 2016 season. But, he recovered in time to play in the season opener against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field.
The player bruised the same ankle late in the game against Wisconsin. As a result, he missed the following week’s game against Jacksonville State.
He re-injured it in a 101-yard rushing effort against SEC West rival Auburn on September 24, which made him miss the next two games.
Moreover, in 2021, Leonard suffered another injury. He was placed on injured reserve on December 23, 2021, after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 15.
Career Highlights and Awards
- (LV) Super Bowl champion
- 2015 Consensus All-American
- 2015 First-team All-SEC
- 2016 Second-team All-SEC
Leonard Fournette | Girlfriend
The NFL player Leonard Fournette was romantically linked with Jamie Jones. However, currently, they are said to have broken up!
Jamie and Leonard met for the first time through Jamie’s brother. Their relationship dates back to the 2010s, but much about it is unknown because neither of them has revealed it to the public.
Though the pair aren’t together now, they are the parents of two lovely kids! Lyric Fournette, their first child, and Leonard IV Fournette, their baby boy.
Complications in the First Pregnancy
The birth of Lyric, their baby girl, was not normal and easy.
Things had become extremely complicated, and Lyric was born five months premature, weighing just three pounds and two ounces.
Her weight was less than half that of the normal born, and she was approximately the size of a milk gallon.
Similarly, her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck while she was delivered.
After that, everything became extremely complicated, making the parents nervous.
Until the following week of delivery, Lyric was fed through a tube that ran through her nose and down her throat.
Leonard Fournette | Controversies & Arrest
Controversies
During a loss to the Titans, while Fournette was with the Jaguars, the player was caught on camera shouting at a fan in the stands.
Similarly, he was suspended indefinitely for leaving the bench to fight Buffalo Bills defensive lineman Shaq Lawson.
The Jaguars then informed Fournette that the guaranteed money in his contract had been voided.
Arrest
Fournette was arrested in April 2019 at a car wash for driving with a suspended license, speeding, and improper window tint on the side and rearview mirrors.
His license was suspended in November for failing to pay a speeding ticket. Leonard spent less than 30 minutes in the Duval County Jail, but it left an indelible impression on him.
Leonard Fournette | Net Worth
The football player has had a rewarding NFL career. At present, he has a net worth of $10 million.
Leonard signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022.
The contract also includes a $12 million guarantee and a $7 million average annual salary.
Moreover, Fournette will earn a base salary of $2 million and a signing bonus of $5 million in 2022.
Social Media
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette has a sizable social media following with nearly a million on Instagram and half a million on Twitter.
View this post on Instagram
- Instagram: @leonardfournette
- Twitter: @_fournette
Leonard Fournette’s Popularity Over The Years
Running back for Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Leonard Fournette is quite famous around the world.
The above graph shows his popularity over the past five years.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)
Does Leonard Fournette play another sport?
Leonard participated in track and field at St. Augustine High School. His regional mark of 21.57 seconds in the 200 meters is the fastest in 4A.