Behind every NFL star is someone who helped them shine.
In conversation with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco for the latest edition of “49ers Game Plan” ahead of the team’s Week 12 matchup against the Carolina Panthers on Monday night at Levi’s Stadium, San Francisco cornerback Deommodore Lenoir revealed the individual who helped him on his path to league relevancy.
Who else but former cornerback Richard Sherman?
“For sure, because he [Sherman] was the first person to take notice and actually publicize what I was doing,” Lenoir told Maiocco.
This season, with defensive captains Nick Bosa and Fred Warner out for the year after brutal injuries in Week 3 and Week 6, respectively, Lenoir, a fifth-year veteran and first-time captain, has been tasked with leading San Francisco’s defense on the field.
In other words, Lenoir is filling in for the same superstar teammates he had to stand out amongst.
“Just being on a team full of stars, we have Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, we have all of these stars, Talanoa Hufanga,” Lenoir added. “We have all these guys, and he singled me out because I wasn’t getting any love, for real. But I was just kind of working in silence.”
Throughout the years, Lenoir and Sherman – both fifth-round picks – have maintained a mentor-mentee relationship.
Years later, the communication between the two remains strong, and Lenoir’s ascension as a star cornerback and team leader shows it.
“Oh yeah, for sure. I mean, not as much, but every time we see each other we still communicate, or if he’s watching film or he sees something in the game that I did, he will reach out to me,” Lenoir concluded. “But we’re still locked in.”
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