Richard LeCounte’s latest recovery update comes on the Georgia State House floor

Richard LeCounte worked tirelessly over a span of several weeks for his moment. The All-American safety set a goal to defeat the odds after a near-tragic accident and suit up in a Georgia uniform one final time to say his farewell.

Four seasons in the program came down to one final play. Georgia clinched its season-wrapping Peach Bowl win over Cincinnati — with one final defensive play remaining. No. 2 took the field for that last play, and Georgia recorded a safety in the game’s final moments.

The play clinched the 24-21 win over the Bearcats, but LeCounte’s appearance became the story. Eight weeks prior to that Jan. 1 contest, the team’s defensive anchor suffered serious injuries in an accident that happened while riding on a motorbike. He could have never played football again for the Bulldogs.

But that wasn’t how LeCounte planned to say goodbye to Georgia.

“He had a huge impact (in that game),” safety Christopher Smith said, who replaced LeCounte as a starter after the injury. “It’s very special to see him get out there on that last play and go out on top.”

Since that moment, however, no one knew how LeCounte was progressing in recovery as his NFL career was about to launch.

LeCounte led Georgia with 26 tackles, four pass deflections and three interceptions through five games in the 2020 season. Then, on Halloween night as Georgia returned from a 14-3 win at Kentucky, the unthinkable happened. LeCounte was involved in a three-vehicle accident while riding to a convenience store on Macon Highway in Athens on his motorbike. He was unconscious at the scene, according to an Athens-Clarke County police report, and spent numerous days in a hospital intensive care unit. He suffered a concussion, broken ribs and a shoulder injury.

Aside from the occasional update from Kirby Smart, the progressions of LeCounte — in regard to recovery and performance — weren’t too clear. The latest news, oddly enough, came during Georgia’s legislative session at the state capitol in Atlanta.

The governing body welcomes a guest ahead of each session to lead the members in a moment of prayer. Erika LeCounte, the UGA safety’s mother, used her moment on the floor of the Georgia House of Representatives to shine a light on Richard.

“A lot of people know me as No. 2’s mom. And that’s OK,” Erika said on Feb. 11. “I’m pleased to tell you that he is healthy. Everyone here is probably thinking ‘How is he doing?’ He is doing fine. Richard is well. He’s fit and training for his first job interview (the NFL draft) — which is coming really soon.”

LeCounte’s draft stock suffered because of the accident, albeit an uncontrollable moment that cut his senior season of college football short. According to LeCounte’s draft profile on Tankathon, the defensive back from Liberty County is projected as the 90th-overall pick (third round) in the NFL draft to Cleveland. LeCounte was invited to but did not participate in January’s Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.

His mother has taken the last couple of months to reflect on Richard’s path to football and where his situation currently stands. Erika is grateful that her son has another football opportunity, because she knew how early his dreams began. She recalled in her prayer at the State Capitol that Richard had an immense adoration for the game at a young age.

Erika would find her son at the family computer as a 4-year-old boy. He would rewind the film frequently and watch the intricacies of all-time greats like Deion Sanders, Herschel Walker and Tony Dorsett.

“He would explain things in a bit of an unusual way,” Erika said. “It’d be weird to hear him talk about football when he’s four or five years old.”

LeCounte’s football dreams live on, and a new chapter is set to begin. Two months after the LeCounte family saw a future in the sport flash before its eyes, the world knew that Richard returned to form by way of an announcement on the political stage.

For LeCounte, however, his strongest words came on his farewell to Georgia on Jan. 1.

“I Got one Last Play ! That’s all I was wishing for !” LeCounte tweeted that evening. “GOOOO DAWGGGSSSS!!”

This story was originally published February 19, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Richard LeCounte’s latest recovery update comes on the Georgia State House floor."