Florida LB Jeremiah Moon overcame severe leg, weight problems growing up

Florida freshman linebacker Jeremiah Moon. (Zach Abolverdi/AJC)HOOVER, Ala. — Forrest Gump isn’t the only football player who grew up in Alabama wearing leg braces.

Florida freshman linebacker Jeremiah Moon was born with a physical deformity that hindered him until he reached elementary school.

“I was bowlegged and pigeon-toed, so I had to wear braces on my legs,” Moon said. “That was not easy.”

Once Moon had trouble walking, doctors put him in braces that stretched from his feet to his knees. He wore them every day for more than a year, and each Monday his family would take him to see a specialist.

The braces helped his legs grow straight, but also caused a hairline fracture in his back. Moon…