Maurice Lamar Leggett (also known as Moe Leggett) (born October 2, 1986) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

who is currently a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. He was previously a member of the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

and the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fiel ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL). He entered the NFL as an undrafted

in May 2008. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for

Valdosta State University Valdosta State University (VSU or Valdosta State) is a public university in Valdosta, Georgia. It is one of the four comprehensive universities in the University System of Georgia. , VSU had over 12,000 undergraduate and graduate students. VSU a ...

High school & college

Leggett attended and played football at Mount Zion High School in

Jonesboro, Georgia Jonesboro is a city in and the county seat of Clayton County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,724 as of the 2010 census. The city's name was originally spelled Jonesborough. During the Civil War, the final skirmish in the Atlanta Cam ...

. He played

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

during high school. His jersey from the school was retired in 2009. He attended

and played on their football team, the Blazers, helping them win two Division II National Championships; in 2004 and 2007. He was honored with first-team All-Gulf South honors in 2006 as well.

Professional career

Kansas City Chiefs

Leggett was undrafted in the

2008 NFL Draft The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, ...

, and signed with the

( NFL) on May 2, 2008 as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. After a productive rookie season, he was awarded the Mack Lee Hill Award for Most Outstanding Rookie for the Chiefs. Leggett was the first undrafted rookie to win the award. In November 2009, he was placed in injured reserve for a shoulder injury. In 2010, he was again placed on injured reserve, and was eventually not resigned.

Detroit Lions

On July 29, 2011, Leggett signed with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

. He was released on August 17, after his injury didn't heal.

Utah Blaze

Leggett signed with the

Utah Blaze The Utah Blaze was a professional arena football team based in Salt Lake City, Utah and competed in the West Division (AFL), West Division of the Arena Football League. Home games were played at the EnergySolutions Arena. In 2013, the team did ...

of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

(AFL) in 2013 to resume his football career. He had 69 tackles and five interceptions playing in 15 games during his only season in the AFL.

Philadelphia Soul

During the offseason, Leggett signed with the

Philadelphia Soul Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia TSOP, is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often feat ...

, but never played with the team.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

In 2014, Leggett signed with the

of the

. In his first CFL year, Leggett was Winnipeg's nominee for the CFL outstanding defensive player of the year award. He finished his first CFL season tied for second in the league with five interceptions, including three in one game. At the end of the season, he was rewarded with a three-year contract extension. Leggett continued his strong play in 2015, contributing 59 tackles (including five on special teams), five quarterback sacks and one interception. In 2016, Leggett was voted Winnipeg's top defensive player, and was the CFL's co-leader with seven interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns. In 2017, Leggett was named a "Shaw CFL Top Performer of the Week" after scoring two touchdowns in the

Banjo Bowl The Banjo Bowl is the annual rematch game between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) after the Labour Day Classic. While the traditional Labour Day Classic game is always played on the ...

win over the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

. It was only the third time in the past 30 years that a CFL defensive player had multiple touchdowns in a game. On October 15, 2017, nearing the end of the 2017 regular season, Leggett suffered a

torn Achilles tendon Achilles tendon rupture is when the Achilles tendon, at the back of the ankle, breaks. Symptoms include the sudden onset of sharp pain in the heel. A snapping sound may be heard as the tendon breaks and walking becomes difficult. Rupture typic ...

and was declared out for the rest of the season. In 13 games he had contributed 50 tackles, three interceptions and three sacks. In February 2018, less than a week before becoming a

, Leggett and the Bombers agreed to a one-year contract extension. Leggett suffered another serious injury during the

2018 CFL season The 2018 CFL season was the 65th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 61st Canadian Football League season. Edmonton hosted the 106th Grey Cup on November 25, 2018. The CFL announced that this season will move to a 21- ...

and was carted off the team's practice field on October 22, 2018. Leggett was released by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on November 21, 2018, after the Bombers were eliminated from the playoffs.

Albany Empire

Leggett returned to the Arena Football League when he signed with the Albany Empire in time for the final regular season game. After advancing in the playoffs, Leggett recorded Albany's first points in

ArenaBowl XXXII ArenaBowl XXXII was 32nd and final ArenaBowl and the championship game of the 2019 Arena Football League season. The game took place on August 11, 2019, with kickoff at 8:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN2. It featured the winners of the two semifinals, the N ...

when he intercepted a pass and returned it 54 yards for a touchdown. Leggett also recovered a fumble en route to Albany's first championship. The league folded in November 2019.

Statistics

Personal life

Leggett has a son, Malik Price, born in 2007. He participates in

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

, performing with the

Royal Winnipeg Ballet The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America. History It was founded in 1939 as the "Winnipeg Ballet Club" by Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally (who also fou ...

in a performance of

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaiko ...

. Leggett has been a fan of ballet since taking a ballet class in high school. He also has interest in

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

and frequently listens to

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

. Leggett majored in criminal justice in college, and also studied voice and piano. He cites

Ed Reed Edward Earl Reed Jr. (born September 11, 1978) is an American former football safety in the National Football League (NFL), spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Ravens. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, wher ...

and

Ray Lewis Raymond Anthony Lewis Jr. (born May 15, 1975) is an American former professional American football, football player who played as a Linebacker#Middle linebacker, middle linebacker with the Baltimore Ravens for his entire 17-year career in th ...

as his inspirations in football.During a press conference to announce his re-signing with the Blue Bombers in February, Leggatt says he will seriously consider taking up permanent residency in the City if Winnipeg upon retirement from football.

References

External links

Maurice Leggett Official Site

Winnipeg Blue Bombers bio

Kansas City Chiefs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leggett, Maurice 1986 births Living people Sportspeople from McKeesport, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania American football cornerbacks Valdosta State Blazers football players Kansas City Chiefs players Detroit Lions players Utah Blaze players Philadelphia Soul players Albany Empire (AFL) players American players of Canadian football Canadian football defensive backs Winnipeg Blue Bombers players