Colts QB Riley Leonard's Parents Think He "Sucks" — and His Mom Reminds Him, Often
"I miss those days so much, Saturday mornings at pee-wee football were a blast, but this is pretty good, too."
Published Aug. 8 2025, 4:29 p.m. ET
There's nothing quite as fierce as the love between a mother and her children. Unless it's the love between a father and his children. Whether a father or mother, when your child is famous, you have to worry about all the usual pressures of life plus the pressures of being in the public eye at all times.
The parents of NFL star quarterback for the colts, Riley Leonard, have a unique way of ensuring their child doesn't succumb to the pressures of fame. Here's what we know about Riley's loving parents and the siblings he was "inseparable" from as a child.
Riley Leonard's parents tell him "you suck" before every game.
Unlike many famous sports stars, Riley is quick to share pictures on social media with his parents, with all three beaming and proud. Riley's parents, Heather Leonard and Chad Leonard, are quickly enamored with their children and proud that Riley has risen so high in his career at such a young age.
On his website, Riley said of his parents, "My parents, Chad and Heather, have been there for us every step of the way and I’ll always be grateful for the sacrifices they’ve made for me over the years."
In a September 2024 interview with WKRG, Heather mused, "Since Riley was little, we would get notes or texts or a parent would come up to us and be like, ‘Riley’s a real role model to my son, he’s a leader, and he’s inspired my son to do better at their sport or just in life and be the best that they can be.' And that’s all we can ask for as a parent."
It would seem that they've employed some unusual tactics to help nurture his role model status in life.
Including supporting him in his little league endeavors and sending motivational texts.
Chad is a former basketball star who later coached youth sports teams, and Heather worked as an educator, knowing from a young age that she wanted to work with children (via People).
But going back to those motivational texts for a moment: Heather texts Riley before every game, just to make sure he keeps his eyes on the prize. What do the texts say? Well, they say, "You suck," of course. Heather playfully shared the family tradition in an interview with ABC57.
Of course, they don't really believe he sucks. But they're happy to tell him he does, if it keeps him humble. What it translates to is, "We're so proud of you, and we love you," as any parent knows.
With all of Riley's successes, his parents sometimes miss the old days. Chad reminisced to ABC57, "I miss those days so much, Saturday mornings at pee-wee football were a blast, but this is pretty good, too."
Riley was "inseperable" from his siblings growing up.
Riley wasn't the only child underfoot in the Leonard household growing up. He has two brothers: Devin and Cole. In a message via The Players' Tribune to his Notre Dame family, Riley once explained that he and his siblings were "inseparable" growing up.
He added, "We actually had a couple of extra bedrooms in our house, so we could’ve each had our own — but we insisted on not splitting up. Our parents caved and let us squeeze three beds into one room."
Like most bands of young brothers, they would "get into all types of trouble together," while buildings forts, dueling with Star Wars lightsabers, and exploring the world.
It's unclear if Heather also texts the other boys in the family tradition, but with a fun-loving family that seems full of inside jokes, we're willing to bet they get some kind of loving harangue on the regular.