CHARLOTTE — Former safety Leonard Wheeler might have only played one season for the Panthers.

But his impact on the team, its players, and the community, continues.

The 56-year-old Wheeler has a lot of titles these days, from executive coach, motivational speaker, to NFL Legends community co-executive director. But the one he loves to talk about is prostate cancer survivor.

Thanks to an early diagnosis, he's well now, and using his platform to encourage other men to get checked.

Wheeler played here in 1998, but a torn ACL the following year ended his NFL career after eight seasons. He also played for the Bengals and the Vikings, but has made Charlotte home, and is a regular presence at Legends events here, including last weekend when he gathered with nearly 100 other former players to watch the Panthers come back to beat the Dolphins.

This week, he'll be back to hit the Keep Pounding drum heading into the fourth quarter, and tell his important story to anyone who will listen.

Panthers.com caught up with Wheeler this week to talk about his journey, and the importance of early detection.

Q: What does it mean to be back here at Bank of America Stadium this weekend to celebrate Crucial Catch weekend?

Wheeler: "It means a lot to be able to share the story. When you think about it, us having over 2,500 guys playing this game, they're going to all be affected in some way with prostate cancer in their families, right? When you think about it, one out of eight men and one out of six men of color would be impacted by prostate cancer. So to be able to bring that awareness on such a Crucial Catch weekend is huge.

"It's about staying alert, staying aware. My mantra now is "suit up, get checked." When you think about us as former athletes or as athletes in general, we've been suiting up our whole life pretty much, right? And one of the things that we're really good at as men is that we're great at hiding. So it's really creating that accountability around, I need for you to stop thinking that you're OK, and I need for you to know that you are."

Q: When were you diagnosed, and how did that come about?

Wheeler: "I was diagnosed in July of last year, and I went through my procedures about seven and a half months ago. There were a lot of different options for me because they caught it so early. But, early or late, it's still cancer inside your body. So I went through the Tulsa Pro procedure, which was a whole prostate ablation. Instead of having a radical prostatectomy, I was not eligible for radiation or anything like that because it was so early.

"But this is what's so scary about it. No symptoms. My PSA rose from 1.1 to 2.1 and 3.1 over three years. So my physician saw a trend. I was not over the threshold, which is 4. I was at a 3.1. So, thank God that my physician, my primary care doctor is curious."

Q: So you weren't experiencing any problems, no reason to think you were anything other than completely fit and healthy?

Wheeler: "Not one, not one reason to think anything was wrong, not one, nothing. Absolutely nothing. But that's how scary it is, because sometimes you're not going to have any symptoms. That's why we have to do our part and get checked and get screened."

Q: I remember having this conversation with Brentson Buckner last year, and he was saying there's just so much to live for once you're in your 50s. We still have a lot of life to live, right?

Wheeler: "That's right. There's a lot to do. So my wife is a nurse of 28 years, OK? So she knows the language. She was scared before we were all even thinking about anything because she knew. So to have her in my corner was a godsend. And we have a lot to be grateful for."

Q: Since the ACL injury in 1999 that cut your career short after eight seasons, what have you been doing since then?

Wheeler: "I started my company 25 years ago. I've been doing global executive coaching for major corporations. I work in the NFL office with the Legends Community. Chad Pennington and I are co-executive directors for the Legends Community, and we have Mike Rucker, one of our directors, here in Charlotte. Thomas Davis is one of our coordinators here. And so we've been able to really create a lot of awareness around the benefits, and we're trying to change the narrative on how former players look at the NFL."

Q: With all that you've done since your playing days, what is the thing you're most proud of?

Wheeler: "I would say that I'm most proud of my family. When I think about my wife and our kids, we have a daughter, who finished her master's at the University of Madrid in Spain. We have a son who's a senior in college, and a son who's a freshman in college. So, I'm really proud of my wife. I'm proud of my family. And I'm really proud that we're creating awareness around something that could change the narrative for families when it comes to prostate cancer.

"Man, we have to get better at having hard conversations when it comes to health. Especially African American men, we are great hiders. You grow up keeping everything to yourself. Can't do it."

Q: You were here last weekend, when you gather around a bunch of former Panthers players, what are those conversations like?

Wheeler: (Laughs) What is so funny is that you remember that maybe the two interceptions you had in '95 become five interceptions in 2025. But the camaraderie becomes even more important because it's great to have the connection. It becomes the extended locker room where you can chop it up, and you start to realize that you're not alone, and that some of us are going through the same struggles when it comes to transition after your career. Or you can celebrate things that you might be proud of about your kids or about your wife and you're able to celebrate that with each other. And it just becomes magical, man. I mean, it becomes a locker room mentality. And you don't even care about really what you did in the NFL. You just love seeing the guys and their families and loving them.

"It is really cool because you get to help paint a canvas of how you want life to look like moving forward. And you get to help create that canvas for them. And that's exciting. For us to be able to, for me to be able to work in the league office with (NFL executive VP of football operations) Troy Vincent and educate guys on the benefits available to them, and to be in the locker room with my boys like John Randle and Warrick Dunn and Torry Holt and Will Shields, and Orlando Pace and Mike Rucker and Thomas Davis. All of us get to still work together. Come on, that's priceless."

For more information about early detection and the NFL's efforts to encourage everyone to get regular screenings and how those early screenings can save lives, you can click here for the American Cancer Society's web page.